Methods for reducing viral load in HIV-1-infected patients

ABSTRACT

This method provides a method for reducing HIV-1 viral load in an HIV-1-infected human subject which comprises administering to the subject at a predefined interval effective HIV-1 viral load-reducing doses of (a) a humanized antibody designated PRO 140, or of (b) an anti-CCR5 receptor monoclonal antibody. This invention also provides a method for inhibiting in a human subject the onset or progression of an HIV-1-associated disorder, the inhibition of which is effected by inhibiting fusion of HIV-1 to CCR5 + CD4 +  target cells in the subject. This invention also provides a method for treating a subject infected with HIV-1 comprising administering to the subject (a) a monoclonal antibody which (i) binds to a CCR5 receptor on the surface of the subject&#39;s CD4 +  cells and (ii) inhibits fusion of HIV-1 to the subject&#39;s CCR5 + CD4+ cells, and (b) a non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist, in amounts effective to treat the subject.

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/702,064, filed Jul. 22, 2005; U.S. Provisional Application No.60/701,889, filed Jul. 23, 2005; U.S. Provisional Application No.60/711,528, filed Aug. 26, 2005; and U.S. Provisional Application No.60/715,619, filed Sep. 9, 2005; the contents of each of which in itsentirety is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.

This invention was made with support under United States GovernmentGrant Nos. AI046871 and AI066329 from the National Institute of Allergyand Infectious Diseases. Accordingly, the United States Government hascertain rights in the subject invention.

Throughout this application, various publications are referenced inparentheses by author name and date, or by a patent or patentpublication number. Full citations for these publications may be foundat the end of the specification immediately preceding the claims. Thedisclosures of each of these publications in its entirety are herebyincorporated by reference into this application in order to more fullydescribe the state of the art as known to those skilled therein as ofthe date of this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Infection of cells by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) ismediated by the viral envelope (Env) glycoproteins gp120 and gp41, whichare expressed as a noncovalent, oligomeric complex on the surface ofvirus and virally infected cells. Entry of the virus into target cellsproceeds through a cascade of events at the cell surface that include(1) binding of the viral surface glycoprotein gp120 to a cell surfacereceptor, (2) Env binding to fusion coreceptors, and (3) multipleconformational changes in gp41.

The first high-affinity interaction between the virion and the cellsurface is the binding of gp120 to cell surface CD4, which is theprimary receptor for HIV-1 (Dalgleish et al.; 1984; Klatzmann et al.,1984; Maddon et al., 1986; McDougal et al., 1986). This binding inducesconformational changes in gp120, which enable it to interact with one ofseveral chemokine receptors (Berger, 1997; Bieniasz et al., 1998; Dragicet al., 1997; Littman, 1998). The CC-chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) is themajor co-receptor for macrophage-tropic (R5) strains, and plays acrucial role in the transmission of HIV-1 (Berger, 1997; Bieniasz etal., 1998; Dragic et al., 1997; Littman, 1998). T cell line-tropic (X4)viruses use CXCR4 to enter target cells, and usually, but not always,emerge late in disease progression or as a consequence of viruspropagation in tissue culture. Some primary HIV-1 isolates aredual-tropic (R5×4) since they can use both co-receptors, though notalways with the same efficiency (Connor et al., 1997; Simmons et al.,1996). Binding of gp120 to a chemokine receptor in turn triggersconformational changes in the viral transmembrane glycoprotein gp41,which mediates fusion of the viral and cellular membranes.

Each stage of this multi-step process can be blocked with inhibitors ofthe appropriate viral or cellular protein, and the inhibitors of gp120,gp41, CD4 and coreceptor are collectively known as entry inhibitors.Entry inhibitors represent at least 4 distinct classes of agents basedon their molecular targets and determinants of viral resistance (Olsonand Maddon, 2003). Table 1 lists HIV-1 entry inhibitors known to be inclinical development or approved for clinical use.

PRO542 is a tetravalent, third-generation CD4-IgG2 fusion proteincomprising the D1D2 domains of CD4 genetically fused to the heavy andlight chain constant regions of human IgG2 (Allaway et al., 1995; Zhu etal., 2001). This agent binds the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 withnanomolar affinity and may inhibit virus attachment both by receptorblockade and by detaching gp120 from the virion surface, therebyirreversibly inactivating the virus.

TABLE 1 HIV-1 entry inhibitors Compound Molecular Class Target Stage ofEntry Developer PRO542 CD4-Ig Fusion Protein gp120 Attachment ProgeniesBMS-488043 Small Molecule gp120 Attachment Bristol-Myers Squibb TNX-355Humanized antibody CD4 Post-Attachment Tanox PRO 140 Humanized antibodyCCR5 Coreceptor Progenics CCR5mAb004 Human antibody CCR5 CoreceptorHuman Genome Sciences SCH-D Small Molecule CCR5 CoreceptorSchering-Plough (vicriviroc) UK-427, 857 Small Molecule CCR5 CoreceptorPfizer (maraviroc) GW873140 Small Molecule CCR5 CoreceptorGlaxoSmithKline TAK-652 Small Molecule CCR5 Coreceptor Takeda AMD070Small Molecule CXCR4 Coreceptor AnorMed T- Peptide gp41 gp41 FusionTrimeris/Roche 20(enfuvirtide)

BMS-488043 is an optimized analog of BMS-378806 (see PCT InternationalPublication Nos. WO 01/62255 A1 and WO 03/082289 A1), which has beenvariously reported to block gp120 attachment to CD4 (Lin et al., 2002;2003) and post-attachment events (Si et al., 2004).

TNX-355 is a humanized IgG4 version of the anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody(mAb) 5A8, which blocks fusion events that occur post-attachment ofgp120 to CD4 (Burkly et al., 1992; Moore et al., 1992).

PRO140, a humanized anti-CCR5 mAb, and the small-molecule CCR5antagonists, SCH-D (also now designated SCH 417670 or vicriviroc),UK-427,857 (also designated maraviroc) and GW873140, are discussedbelow.

CCR5mAb004 is a fully human mAb, generated using the Abgenix XenoMouse®technology, that specifically recognizes and binds to CCR5 (Roschke etal., 2004). CCR5mAb004 has been reported to inhibit CCR5-dependent entryof HIV-1 viruses into human cells, and recently entered Phase 1 clinicaltrials (HGS Press Release, 2005).

The first small-molecule anti-CCR5 antagonist identified as capable ofinhibiting HIV-I infection was TAK-779 (Baba et al., 1999). However,TAK-779 exhibited poor oral bioavailability (Baba et al., 2005) andlocal injection site irritation (Iizawa et al., 2003), and has beenreplaced in clinical development by a TAK-779 derivative, TAK-652 (Babaet al., 2005). TAK-652 is an orally bioavailable CCR5 antagonist withpotent anti-HIV-1 activity in the nanomolar range in vitro and promisingpharmacological profiles in vivo (Baba et al., 2005).

AMD070 is a second-generation CXCR4 inhibitor; the first-generationCXCR4 inhibitor AMD3100 did not demonstrate a favorable safety windowfor HIV-1 therapy (Schols et al., 2002).

Finally, T-20 was approved for salvage therapy of HIV-1 infectionfollowing favorable antiviral and safety profiles in each of two pivotalPhase 3 studies (Lalezari et al., 2003; Lazzarin et al., 2003).

CCR5 as a Target for Anti-HIV-1 Therapy

As first demonstrated in 1986, HIV-1 binds to target cells via the CD4receptor but requires additional host cell factors to mediate entry(Maddon et al., 1986). Over the next decade, a number of candidatecoreceptors were proposed, but none reproducibly mediated viral entrywhen coexpressed with CD4 in otherwise nonpermissive cells. However, in1996, certain chemokine receptors, mainly CCR5 and CXCR4, were shown toserve as requisite fusion coreceptors for HIV-1.

Cocchi et al. (1995) provided the first link between HIV-1 andchemokines, which are small (˜8 kDa) homologous soluble proteins.Chemokines mediate the recruitment and activation of immune cells. Theyare classified as CC-, CXC-, CX₃C- and XC-chemokines based on the numberand sequential relationship of the first two of four conserved cysteineresidues; most are either CC- or CXC-chemokines. The CC-chemokinesRANTES, MIP-1α and MIP-1β, were shown to block replication of primarymacrophage-tropic strains of HIV-1 (Cocchi et al., 1995). Usingexpression cloning techniques, Feng et al. (1996) discovered that thechemokine receptor fusin (later renamed CXCR4) was a fusion coreceptorfor strains of HIV-1 adapted to growth on T cell lines. Shortlythereafter, several groups reported the cloning of CCR5, a CC chemokinereceptor with specificity for RANTES, MIP-1α and MIP-1β (Combadiere etal., 1996; Raport et al., 1996; Samson et al., 1997), and others thendemonstrated that CCR5 was the main entry cofactor used by primarymacrophage-tropic HIV-1 isolates (Alkhatib et al., 1996; Choe et al.,1996; Deng et al., 1996; Doranz et al., 1996; Dragic et al., 1996). Thepatterns of CCR5 and CXCR4 expression helped solve long-standing riddlesconcerning the tropism of different strains of HIV-1. Macrophage-tropic,T-cell-line-tropic and dual-tropic viruses could be more descriptivelyclassified as being R5, X4 and R5X4 viruses based on their abilities toutilize CCR5, CXCR4 or both receptors, respectively, for entry.

A variety of other chemokine receptors can function as HIV-1 coreceptorswhen over-expressed in vitro. The list includes CCR8, Apj, V28, US28,CCR2b, CCR3, gprl, Bonzo (STRL33, TYMSTR), and BOB (gprl5). Clearly,proteins belonging to the chemokine receptor family have biochemicalproperties that promote HIV-1 membrane fusion. However, most of theabove-mentioned coreceptors are not very efficient, are not normallycoexpressed with CD4, and function only with certain strains of HIV-1,HIV-2 or SIV. The in vivo relevance of these alternative coreceptors hasnot been established.

Several factors make CCR5 an attractive target for new antiretroviraltherapies. CCR5 plays a central role in HIV-1 transmission andpathogenesis, and naturally-occurring mutations in CCR5 conferprotection from HIV-1 infection and disease progression. The mostnotable CCR5 polymorphism involves a 32 bp deletion in the coding regionof CCR5 (A32) (Liu et al., 1996). The A32 allele encodes a nonfunctionalreceptor that fails to reach the cell surface. Individuals who possessone normal and one mutant CCR5 gene express lower levels of CCR5, andtheir T cells are less susceptible to R5 virus infection in vitro (Liuet al., 1996; Wu et al., 1997). A32 heterozygotes experience a mildercourse of disease characterized by reduced viral burdens and delayedprogression to AIDS (Huang et al., 1996; Michael et al., 1997). Theseresults support the concept that reducing CCR5 availability can lowerviral replication and slow disease progression.

Individuals with two mutant CCR5 genes comprise a significant fractionof people of northern European descent; the demography is suggestive ofa prior pandemic of a CCR5-using pathogen. Such individuals representhuman CCR5 “knockouts” in that they do not express a functional CCR5protein. Except in rare instances (Balotta et al., 1997; Biti et al.,1997; O'Brien et al., 1997), these individuals are resistant to HIV-1infection (Huang et al., 1996; Liu et al., 1996; Michael et al., 1997;Samson et al., 1997), and their T cells cannot be infected with R5viruses in vitro (Liu et al., 1996). These findings underscore thecentral role of CCR5 in HIV-1 transmission. In fact, it is now knownthat R5 viruses mediate transmission in nearly all cases and mediateprogression to AIDS in most cases.

Importantly, individuals who lack CCR5 enjoy normal health and displayno obvious immunologic or other defects. This may reflect the redundancyof chemokine signaling pathways and the rather limited pattern ofexpression of CCR5. CCR5 expression is largely confined to activated Tcells and macrophages, which represent the primary targets for HIV-1infection in vivo, although low-level CCR5 expression has been reportedon other tissues, such as smooth muscle (Schecter et al., 2000).

CCR5 knockout mice have been generated and provide further insight intothe effects of abrogating CCR5 function. CCR5 knockout mice developnormally and are ostensibly healthy, although minor alterations inimmune responses can be observed upon challenge with particularpathogens (Huffnagle et al., 1999; Schuh et al., 2002; Tran et al.,2000; Zhou et al., 1998). In contrast, the CXCR4 knockout is a lethalphenotype in mice (Lapidot et al., 2001), and has not been observed inhumans.

Taken together, these genetic analyses strongly support a newtherapeutic approach based on CCR5 as a drug target. The error-pronenature of reverse transcriptase generates immense genetic diversity thatfosters the development of drug-resistant isolates, and HIV-1's abilityto utilize multiple fusion coreceptors provides one path to resistance.Drug-resistant viruses have been isolated for all marketedantiretrovirals, which nevertheless provide important therapeuticbenefit when used in appropriate combinations. Thus, despite thepotential emergence of drug-resistant viruses, CCR5-targeting agents mayserve as a new treatment paradigm for HIV-1 infection.

Although the apparent non-essential nature of CCR5 suggests that CCR5antagonists may be well tolerated in vivo, further studies are requiredto determine that long-term effects of abrogating CCR5 function inindividuals whose immune systems developed in its presence. Suchpotentially deleterious effects may be mitigated by use of agents thatbind to CCR5 and inhibit binding of HIV-1 thereto, but do not impairnormal CCR5 function. One agent demonstrated to have such properties isthe humanized anti-CCR5 mAb, PRO140, which effectively blocks HIV-1replication at concentrations that do not inhibit the physiologicactivity of CCR5 (Olson et al., 1999). PRO140 was identified using afluorescence resonance energy transfer (RET) assay screen for anti-HIVactivity. It is potently antiviral, having an IC₉₀ of about 4 μg/ml(Olson et al., 1999; Trkola et al., 2001) and protects diverse primarytarget cell types (Ketas et al., 2003; Olson and Maddon, 2003). Repeatedadministration of PRO140 led to prolonged control of HIV-1 replicationwithout viral escape in the hu-PBL SCID mouse model, and PRO140 iscurrently in Phase 1 human clinical trials.

Subsequent to the identification of the small-molecule CCR5 antagonist,TAK-779 (Baba et al., 1999), several other small-molecule CCR5antagonists have been identified. Four of these (SCH-C, SCH-D,UK-427,857, GW873140) have completed similarly designed Phase 1 studiesin HIV-infected individuals (Reynes et al., 2002; Schurmann et al.,2004; Dorr et al., 2003; Lalezari et al., 2004). Each of these agentsmediated dose-dependent ˜1 log₁₀ mean reductions in HIV-1 RNA levelsduring the treatment period of 10-14 days. As expected, viral loadsrebounded to baseline levels following cessation of therapy. The mostcommon drug-related side-effects were neurologic (headache, dizziness)and gastrointestinal (nausea, diarrhea, flatulence), and these were notdose limiting. With the exception of SCH-C (Reyes et al., 2001), none ofthe above-identified agents induced clinically significant changes inQTc intervals.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, single oral dose study has also beenconducted to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics ofTAK-652, the successor compound to TAK-779, in healthy male volunteers(Baba et al., 2005). The single administration of TAK-652 solution wasreportedly safe and well tolerated (Baba et al., 2005).

Overall, these studies provide preliminary validation of CCR5 as atarget for HIV-1 therapy. While the small-molecule CCR5 antagonistsrepresent patentably distinct chemical series with differingpharmacokinetic and metabolic properties, the compounds share manyproperties in their inhibition of CCR5 function, binding site on CCR5,resistance profiles, and dosing regimen. These similarities mayconceivably limit the number of genuine treatment options afforded bysmall-molecule CCR5 antagonists. Moreover, it remains to be determinedwhether there are untoward consequences of chronic blockade of CCR5function, and the utility of small-molecule CCR5 antagonists for HIV-1therapy remains to be established by demonstration of appropriate safetyand efficacy in Phase 3 clinical studies.

Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics

In recent years, mAb products have provided new standards of care indiverse disease settings. Currently, 18 mAbs are approved by the U.S.Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for indications including cancer,autoimmune disease, transplant rejection and viral infection. Notably,14 mAbs have been approved since 2000. In many instances, mAbs providesafety, efficacy and ease-of-use profiles that are unrivalled bysmall-molecule compounds. Examples include Synagis (MedImmune, Inc.,Gaithersburg, Md.), a humanized mAb to respiratory syncytial virus(RSV), and Rituxan (Genentech, San Francisco, Calif.), an anti-CD20 mAbthat provides the standard of care for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The humanized anti-CCR5 mAb, PRO140, is structurally, functionally andmechanistically distinct from the small-molecule CCR5 antagonists andtherefore represents a unique CCR5 inhibitor class. PRO140 is ahumanized version of the murine mAb, PA14, which was generated againstCD4⁺CCR5⁺ cells (Olson et al., 1999). PRO140 binds to CCR5 expressed onthe surface of a cell, and potently inhibits HIV-1 entry and replicationat concentrations that do not affect CCR5 chemokine receptor activity invitro and in the hu-PBL-SCID mouse model of HIV-1 infection (Olson etal., 1999; Trkola et al., 2001). The latter finding provides in vivoproof-of-concept for PRO140 anti-HIV-1 therapy, and PRO140 is currentlyundergoing Phase 1a clinical studies.

Important differences between PRO140 and small-molecule CCR5 antagonistsare summarized in Table 2. It is evident from Table 2 that, whereassmall-molecule CCR5 antagonists in development share many properties,PRO140 is clearly distinct from these small-molecule inhibitors. Thedifferences between the two CCR5 inhibitor classes reveal that PRO140may offer a fundamentally distinct, and in many ways complementary,product profile from that of small-molecule CCR5 antagonists. Indeed,PRO140 represents a novel therapeutic approach to treating HIV-1infection and could play an important role in HIV-1 therapy irrespectiveof whether small-molecule CCR5 antagonists are ultimately clinicallyapproved.

Synergistic Inhibition of HIV-1 Infection by Different Classes ofInhibitors

Synergistic inhibition of HIV-1 entry has previously been demonstratedusing certain anti-Env antibodies in combination with other anti-Envantibodies (Thali et al., 1992; Tilley et al., 1992; Laal et al., 1994;Vijh-Warrier et al., 1996; Li et al., 1997; Li et al., 1998), anti-CD4antibodies (Burkly et al., 1995), or CD4-based proteins (Allaway et al.,1993). Similarly, synergies have been observed using anti-CCR5antibodies in combination with other anti-CCR5 antibodies,CC-chemokines, or CD4-based proteins (Olson et al., 1999). Prior studiesdescribed in PCT International Publication No. WO 00/35409, publishedJun. 22, 2000, examined combinations of HIV-1 attachment inhibitors andCCR5 coreceptor inhibitors. Prior studies described in PCT InternationalPublication No. WO 01/55439, published Aug. 2, 2001, examinedcombinations of inhibitors of gp41 fusion intermediates and HIV-1attachment. Prior studies described in PCT International Publication No.WO 02/22077, published Mar. 21, 2002, examined combinations of fusioninhibitors and CCR5 coreceptor inhibitors, as well as the triplecombination of fusion inhibitors, CCR5 coreceptor inhibitors and HIV-1attachment inhibitors. However, no prior study has examined thecombination of different classes of CCR5 coreceptor inhibitors, such asanti-CCR5 mAbs and non-antibody CCR5 antagonists.

TABLE 2 Comparison of PRO 140 and small-molecule CCR5 antagonists underdevelopment Small Molecules PRO 140 Identification Screen ChemokineBinding HIV-1 Entry Block Natural Activity of CCR5 Yes No Potential forImmune Yes No Suppression/Dysregulation Tolerability Cardiac,Neurological No Toxicity Toxicities for some Binding site on CCR5 CommonHydrophobic Extracellular Epitope that Pocket defined by spans MultipleHydrophilic Transmembrane Regions of Domains CCR5 Viral Cross-ResistanceSignificant Limited Development of Resistance In Vitro 6 to 19 weeksNone at 40 weeks Drug-Drug Interactions Significant Unlikely FoodInteractions Significant Unlikely Dosing Once or Twice Daily Biweekly toMonthly

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This method provides a method for reducing HIV-1 viral load in anHIV-1-infected human subject which comprises administering to thesubject at a predefined interval effective HIV-1 viral load-reducingdoses of (a) a humanized antibody designated PRO140, or of (b) ananti-CCR5 receptor monoclonal antibody which (i) binds to CD4+CCR5+cells in the subject and inhibits fusion of HIV-1 with such cells, (ii)inhibits HIV-1 fusion with CD4+CCR5+ cells with a potency equal orgreater than that of PRO140, (iii) coats CD4+CCR5+ cells in the subjectwithout reducing the number of such cells in the subject, and/or (iv)binds to the subject's CD4+CCR5+ cells without inducing an increase inthe subject's plasma concentration of circulating β-chemokines, whereinPRO140 comprises (i) two light chains, each light chain comprising theexpression product of the plasmid designated pVK:HuPRO140-VK (ATCCDeposit Designation PTA-4097), and (ii) two heavy chains, each heavychain comprising the expression product of either the plasmid designatedpVg4:HuPRO140 HG2-VH (ATCC Deposit Designation PTA-4098) or the plasmiddesignated pVg4:HuPRO140 (mut B+D+I)-VH (ATCC Deposit DesignationPTA-4099), wherein the effective HIV-1 viral load-reducing dosecomprises from 0.1 mg per kg to 10 mg per kg of the subject's bodyweight, so as to thereby reduce the subject's HIV-1 viral load.

This invention also provides a method for inhibiting in a human subjectthe onset or progression of an HIV-1-associated disorder, the inhibitionof which is effected by inhibiting fusion of HIV-1 to CCR5⁺CD4⁺ targetcells in the subject, comprising administering to the subject at apredefined interval effective fusion-inhibitory doses of a humanizedantibody designated PRO140, or of an anti-CCR5 receptor antibody which(i) binds to CD4+CCR5+ cells in the subject and inhibits fusion of HIV-1with such cells, (ii) inhibits HIV-1 fusion with the subject's CD4+CCR5+cells with a potency characterized by an IC90 of 10 μg/ml or less, (iii)coats the subject's CD4+CCR5+ cells without reducing the number of suchcells in the subject, and/or (iv) binds to the subject's CD4+CCR5+ cellswithout inducing an increase in the subject's plasma concentration ofcirculating β-chemokines, wherein PRO140 comprises (i) two light chains,each light chain comprising the expression product of the plasmiddesignated pVK:HuPRO140-VK (ATCC Deposit Designation PITA-4097), and(ii) two heavy chains, each heavy chain comprising the expressionproduct of either the plasmid designated pVg4:HuPRO140 HG2-VH (ATCCDeposit Designation PTA-4098) or the plasmid designated pVg4:HuPRO140(mut B+D+I)-VH (ATCC Deposit Designation PTA-4099), wherein eachadministration of the antibody delivers to the subject from 0.1 mg perkg to 10 mg per kg of the subject's body weight, so as to therebyinhibit the onset or progression of the HIV-1-associated disorder in thesubject.

This invention further provides a method for reducing the likelihood ofa human subject's contracting an HIV-1 infection which comprisesadministering to the subject at a predefined interval effectivefusion-inhibitory doses of a humanized antibody designated PRO140, or ofan anti-CCR5 receptor antibody which (i) binds to CD4+CCR5+ cells in thesubject and inhibits fusion of HIV-1 with such cells, (ii) inhibitsHIV-1 fusion with the subject's CD4+CCR5+ cells with a potencycharacterized by an IC90 of 10 μg/ml or less, (iii) coats the subject'sCD4+CCR5+ cells without reducing the number of such cells in thesubject, and/or (iv) binds to the subject's CD4+CCR5+ cells withoutinducing an increase in the subject's plasma concentration ofcirculating β-chemokines, wherein PRO140 comprises (i) two light chains,each light chain comprising the expression product of the plasmiddesignated pVK:HuPRO140-VK (ATCC Deposit Designation PTA-4097), and (ii)two heavy chains, each heavy chain comprising the expression product ofeither the plasmid designated pVg4:HuPRO140 HG2-VH (ATCC DepositDesignation PTA-4098) or the plasmid designated pVg4:HuPRO140 (mutB+D+I)-VH (ATCC Deposit Designation PTA-4099), wherein eachadministration of the antibody delivers to the subject from 0.1 mg perkg to 10 mg per kg of the subject's body weight, so as to thereby reducethe likelihood of the subject's contracting an HIV-1 infection.

The present invention provides a method for treating a subject infectedwith HIV-1 comprising administering to the subject (a) an antibody which(i) binds to a CCR5 receptor on the surface of a CD4⁺ cell and (ii)inhibits fusion of HIV-1 to a CCR5⁺CD4+ cell, and (b) a non-antibodyantagonist of a CCR5 receptor, in amounts effective to treat thesubject.

This invention also provides a method for inhibiting in a subject theonset or progression of an HIV-1-associated disorder, the inhibition ofwhich is effected by inhibiting fusion of HIV-1 to CCR5⁺CD4⁺ targetcells in the subject, comprising administering to the subject (a) anantibody which (i) binds to a CCR5 receptor on the surface of a CD4⁺cell and (ii) inhibits fusion of HIV-1 to a CCR5⁺CD4+ cell, and (b) anon-antibody antagonist of a CCR5 receptor, in amounts effective toinhibit fusion of HIV-1 to the CCR5⁺CD4+ target cells, so as to therebyinhibit the onset or progression of the HIV-1-associated disorder in thesubject.

The invention further provides a method for reducing the likelihood of asubject's contracting an HIV-1 infection comprising administering to thesubject (a) an antibody which (i) binds to a CCR5 receptor on thesurface of a CD4⁺ cell and (ii) inhibits fusion of HIV-1 to a CCR5⁺CD4+cell, and (b) a non-antibody antagonist of a CCR5 receptor, in amountseffective to reduce the likelihood of the subject's contracting an HIV-1infection.

This invention also provides a method of potentiating HIV-1 inhibitoryactivity of (i) an anti-CCR5 receptor monoclonal antibody or (ii) anon-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist in the treatment of HIV-1infection in a subject, comprising: administering to the subject anHIV-1 inhibitory activity potentiating amount of the anti-CCR5 receptormonoclonal antibody in combination with an HIV-1 inhibitory activitypotentiating amount of a non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist, whereinthe combination produces a synergistic effect on inhibiting HIV-1infection, thereby potentiating the inhibitory activity of (i) theanti-CCR5 receptor monoclonal antibody or (ii) the non-antibody CCR5receptor antagonist. In one embodiment, due to the synergistic effect,the non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist causes an approximately 4- to10-fold dose reduction of the anti-CCR5 receptor monoclonal antibody andthe anti-CCR5 receptor monoclonal antibody causes an approximately 3- to16-fold dose reduction of the non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1

Humanized PRO140 is potently antiviral. The in vitro neutralizationactivity of murine and humanized PRO140 was tested against four primaryR5HIV-1 isolates using a whole virus replication assay. The data reflectthe median values from 8 or more independent assays. The geneticsubtypes of the viruses are indicated in parentheses.

FIG. 2

Antiviral activity is independent of target cell. Inhibition ofinfection of four different target cells by three primary R5 HIV-1isolates with was tested.

FIG. 3

In vitro HIV-1 susceptibility to PRO140 quantified using the PhenoSense™entry assay. PRO140 was tested for activity against 20 primary HIV-1isolates in the PhenoSense HIV Entry™ assay at ViroLogic, Inc. Drugsusceptibility is reported as IC₅₀ values, which represent theconcentration required for 50% inhibition of viral infectivity.

FIG. 4

PRO140 blocks HIV-1 but not chemokine signaling. The effects of PRO140on the inhibition of RANTES-induced calcium mobilization in L1.2-CCR5cells and on inhibition of HIV-1_(JR-FL) replication in PBMC cultureswere determined. Similar results were obtained for MIP-1α and MIP-1β.

FIG. 5

PRO140 provides prolonged control of viral replication in HIV-1-infectedmice. SCID mice were reconstituted with normal human peripheral bloodmononuclear cells and infected 2 weeks later with HIV-1_(JR-CSF).Multiple doses of PRO140 were administered following attainment ofsteady state viral levels. Plasma viral loads pre- and post-injectionare indicated.

FIG. 6

PRO140 coats but does not deplete CCR5 lymphocytes. Healthy malevolunteers (n=4) were treated with a single intravenous infusion ofPRO140 at a dose level of 2 mg/kg. At the indicated timespost-treatment, blood was collected and analyzed for CCR5 lymphocytelevels. The group mean values and standard deviations are indicated.

FIG. 7

Serum concentrations of PRO140. Healthy male volunteers were treatedwith a single intravenous infusion of PRO140 at dose levels of 0.1, 0.5and 2.0 mg/kg, as indicated. At the indicated times post-treatment,serum was collected, cryopreserved, and analyzed for PRO140 levels. Datafor individual patients are indicated.

FIG. 8

PRO140 does not affect plasma chemokine levels. Healthy male volunteerswere treated with a single intravenous infusion of 0.1 mg/kg PRO140(Cohort 1), 0.5 mg/kg PRO140 (Cohort 2) or matched placebo. At theindicated times post-treatment, plasma was collected, cryopreserved andanalyzed for levels of RANTES. The Lower Limit of Quantification of theassay was 415 pg RANTES/mL plasma. Data represent the group mean values.

FIG. 9

Scheme for chemical synthesis of SCH-D.

FIG. 10

Scheme for chemical synthesis of TAK-779. The method is as described inShiraishi et al., 2000.

FIG. 11

Scheme for chemical synthesis of UK-427,857. The method is as describedin PCT International Publication No. WO 01/90106 A2, published Nov. 29,2001.

FIG. 12

Synergistic inhibition of HIV-1 fusion exhibited by PRO140 withdifferent compounds. Interactions between PRO140 and small-molecule,peptide, mAb, and chimeric CD4-immunoglobulin inhibitors of CCR5, CD4,gp120 and gp41 targets for inhibiting HIV-1 fusion were assessed usingthe RET assay. Mean combination index (CI) values with 95% confidenceintervals are plotted for data obtained using the compounds combined ina 1:1 molar ratio. A CI value of <1 indicates synergistic interactions;a CI value of 1 indicates additive interactions; and a CI value of >1indicates antagonistic interactions.

FIG. 13

PRO140 coats but does not deplete lymphocytes. Healthy male volunteers(n=4) were treated with a single intravenous infusion of PRO140 at adose level of 5 mg/kg. At the indicated times post-treatment, blood wascollected and analyzed for CCR5 lymphocyte levels. The group mean valuesand standard deviations are indicated.

FIG. 14

PRO140 is active against HIV-1 strains that are resistant tosmall-molecule CCR5 antagonists. Variants of HIV-1 resistant to AD101 (asmall-molecule CCR5 inhibitor structurally related to SCH-C) and SCH-D(Kuhmann et al., 2004; Maroznan et al. 2005) were tested for sensitivityto the anti-CCR5 mab, PA14. The extent of viral replication in primaryCD4+ T-cells is represented relative to p24 antigen production in theabsence of any inhibitor, which is defined as 100%. Individual datapoints were the average of values derived from 4 separate experiments,each performed using duplicate wells. The data show that whereas theAD101- and SCH-D-resistant HIV-1 variants were resistant to SCH-C andSCH-D, respectively, replication of these variants was potentlyinhibited by PA14 (Maroznan et al. 2005).

FIG. 15

Dose-response curves for inhibition of HIV-1_(JR-FL) envelope-mediatedmembrane fusion by combinations of CCR5 inhibitors. Dilutions wereanalyzed in triplicate wells, and the data points depict the mean andstandard deviations of replicates. (A) PRO140 and UK-427,857 were testedindividually and in a 1:1 fixed molar ratio over the indicated range ofconcentrations. In the experiment depicted, IC50 and IC90 values were2.9 nM and 11 nM for PRO140, 5.0 nM and 21 nM for UK-427,857, and 2.1 nMand 4.6 nM for the combination. CI50 and CI90 values were 0.58 and 0.32,respectively. (B) SCH-D and UK-427,857 were tested individually and in a1:1 fixed molar ratio over the indicated range of concentrations. In theexperiment depicted, IC50 and IC90 values were 5.5 nM and 34 nM forSCH-D, 9.7 nM and 59 nM for UK-427,857, and 6.1 nM and 31 nM for thecombination. CI50 and CI90 values were 0.87 and 0.73, respectively.

FIG. 16

Inhibition of PRO140-PE binding to CEM.NKR-CCR5 cells by unlabeledPRO140, UK-427,857 and SCH-D. CEM.NKR-CCR5 cells were incubated withvarying concentrations of unlabeled PRO140, UK-427,857 or SCH-D for 30min at room temperature in PBSA buffer prior to addition of 5 nM PRO140-PE for an additional 30 min. Cells were washed and then analyzed byflow cytometry for both the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of bindingand the percent of cells gated for positive binding of PRO 140-PE.Inhibition was assessed on the basis of both MFI (A) and percent cellsgated (B).

FIG. 17

Inhibition of ³H-UK-427,857 binding by unlabeled UK-427,857, SCH-D andPRO140. (A) CEM.NKR-CCR5 cells were pre-incubated with varyingconcentrations of unlabeled UK-427,857, SCH-D or PRO140 for 30 min inPBSA buffer at ambient temperature prior to the addition of at 2 nM³H-UK-427,857 for an additional 30 min. Cells were washed and thenanalyzed for radioactivity by scintillation counting. (B) The stabilityof UK-427,857 binding under the assay conditions was examined bypre-incubating CEM.NKR-CCR5 cells with 2 nM ³H-UK-427,857 prior towashing, addition of unlabeled compounds for 30 min, and processing asdescribed above.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Terms

As used in this application, except as otherwise expressly providedherein, each of the following terms shall have the meaning set forthbelow.

“Administering” refers to delivering in a manner which is effected orperformed using any of the various methods and delivery systems known tothose skilled in the art. Administering can be performed, for example,topically, intravenously, pericardially, orally, parentemlly, viaimplant, transmucosally, transdermally, intradermally, intramuscularly,subcutaneously, intraperitoneally, intrathecally, intralymphatically,intralesionally, epidurally, or by in vivo electroporation. An agent orcomposition may also be administered in an aerosol, such as forpulmonary and/or intranasal delivery. Administering can also beperformed, for example, once, a plurality of times, and/or over one ormore extended periods.

An “antibody” shall include, without limitation, an immunoglobulinmolecule comprising two heavy chains and two light chains and whichrecognizes an antigen. The immunoglobulin molecule may derive from anyof the commonly known classes, including but not limited to IgA,secretory IgA, IgG and IgM. IgG subclasses are also well known to thosein the art and include but are not limited to human IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 andIgG4. “Antibody” includes, by way of example, both naturally occurringand non-naturally occurring antibodies; monoclonal and polyclonalantibodies; chimeric and humanized antibodies; human or nonhumanantibodies; wholly synthetic antibodies; and single chain antibodies. Anonhuman antibody may be humanized by recombinant methods to reduce itsimmunogenicity in man. Methods for humanizing antibodies are well knownto those skilled in the art. “Antibody” also includes, withoutlimitation, a fragment or portion of any of the afore-mentionedimmunoglobulin molecules and includes a monovalent and a divalentfragment or portion. Antibody fragments include, for example, Fcfragments and antigen-binding fragments (Fab).

An “anti-chemokine receptor antibody” refers to an antibody whichrecognizes and binds to an epitope on a chemokine receptor. As usedherein, “anti-CCR5 antibody” refers to an antibody which recognizes andbinds to an epitope on the CCR5 chemokine receptor.

“Attachment” means the process that is mediated by the binding of theHIV-1 envelope glycoprotein to the human CD4 receptor, which is not afusion coreceptor.

As used herein, “CCR5” is a chemokine receptor which binds members ofthe C—C group of chemokines and whose amino acid sequence comprises thatprovided in Genbank Accession Number 1705896 and related polymorphicvariants. As used herein, CCR5 includes, without limitation,extracellular portions of CCR5 capable of binding the HIV-1 envelopeprotein. “CCR5” and “CCR5 receptor” are used synonymously.

“CD4” means the mature, native, membrane-bound CD4 protein comprising acytoplasmic domain, a hydrophobic transmembrane domain, and anextracellular domain which binds to the HIV-1 gp120 envelopeglycoprotein.

“CDR”, or complementarity determining region, means a highly variablesequence of amino acids in the variable domain of an antibody.

A “cell” includes a biological cell, e.g., a HeLa cell, and anon-biological cell, e.g., a phospholipid vesicle or virion. A “cellsusceptible to HIV infection” may also be referred to as a “target cell”and includes a cell capable of being infected by or fusing with HIV oran HIV-infected cell.

“CXCR4” is a chemokine receptor which binds members of the C—X—C groupof chemokines and whose amino acid sequence comprises that provided inGenbank Accession No 400654 and related polymorphic variants. As usedherein, CXCR4 includes extracellular portions of CXCR4 capable ofbinding the HIV-1 envelope protein.

“Exposed” to HIV-1 refers to contact with HIV-1 such that infectioncould result.

A “fully human” antibody refers to an antibody wherein all of the aminoacids correspond to amino acids in human immunoglobulin molecules.“Fully human” and “human” are used synonymously.

“HIV” refers to the human immunodeficiency virus. HIV shall include,without limitation, HIV-1. HIV-1 includes but is not limited toextracellular virus particles and the forms of HIV-1 associated withHIV-1 infected cells. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may beeither of the two known types of HIV (HIV-1 or HIV-2). The HIV-1 virusmay represent any of the known major subtypes (classes A, B, C, D, E, F,G and H) or outlying subtype (Group 0). HIV-1_(JR-FL) is a strain thatwas originally isolated at autopsy from the brain tissue of an AIDSpatient. The virus has been cloned and the DNA sequences of its envelopeglycoproteins are known (GenBank Accession No. U63632). In terms ofsensitivity to inhibitors of viral entry, HIV-1_(JR-FL) is known to behighly representative of primary HIV-1 isolates.

A “humanized” antibody refers to an antibody wherein some, most or allof the amino acids outside the CDR regions are replaced withcorresponding amino acids derived from human immunoglobulin molecules.In one embodiment of the humanized forms of the antibodies, some, mostor all of the amino acids outside the CDR regions have been replacedwith amino acids from human immunoglobulin molecules, whereas some, mostor all amino acids within one or more CDR regions are unchanged. Smalladditions, deletions, insertions, substitutions or modifications ofamino acids are permissible as long as they do not abrogate the abilityof the antibody to bind a given antigen. Suitable human immunoglobulinmolecules include IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, IgA, IgE and IgM molecules. A“humanized” antibody retains an antigenic specificity similar to that ofthe original antibody.

“Monoclonal antibodies,” also designated a mAbs, are antibody moleculeswhose primary sequences are essentially identical and which exhibit thesame antigenic specificity. Monoclonal antibodies may be produced byhybridoma, recombinant, transgenic or other techniques known to thoseskilled in the art.

A “non-antibody antagonist of a CCR5 receptor” refers to an agent thatdoes not comprise an antibody, and which binds to a CCR5 receptor andinhibits the activity of this receptor. Such inhibition can includeinhibiting the binding of HIV-1 to the CCR5 receptor. By way of example,non-antibody antagonists include nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids,oligopeptides, and small organic molecules.

“Reducing the likelihood of a subject's contracting a viral infection”means reducing the likelihood of the subject's becoming infected withthe virus by at least two-fold. For example, if a subject has a 1%chance of becoming infected with the virus, a two-fold reduction in thelikelihood of the subject contracting a viral infection would result inthe subject having a 0.5% chance of becoming infected with the virus. Inthe preferred embodiment of this invention, reducing the likelihood ofthe subject's contracting a viral infection means reducing thelikelihood of the subject's becoming infected with the virus by at leastten-fold.

A “small-molecule” CCR5 receptor antagonist includes, for example, asmall organic molecule which binds to a CCR5 receptor and inhibits theactivity of the receptor. Such inhibition includes, e.g., inhibiting thebinding of HIV-1 to the receptor. In one embodiment, the small organicmolecule has a molecular weight less than 1,500 daltons. In anotherembodiment, the molecule has a molecular weight less than 600 daltons.

“Subject” includes any animal or artificially modified animal capable ofbecoming infected with HIV. Animals include, but are not limited to,humans, non-human primates, dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, and rodentssuch as mice, rats and guinea pigs. Artificially modified animalsinclude, but are not limited to, SCID mice with human immune systems. Inthe preferred embodiment, the subject is a human.

“Synergy” between two or more agents refers to the combined effect ofthe agents which is greater than their additive effects. Synergistic,additive or antagonistic effects between agents may be quantified byanalysis of the dose-response curves using the Combination Index (CI)method. A CI value greater than 1 indicates antagonism; a CI value equalto 1 indicates an additive effect; and a CI value less than 1 indicatesa synergistic effect. In one embodiment, the CI value of a synergisticinteraction is less than 0.9. In another embodiment, the CI value isless than 0.8. In a preferred embodiment, the CI value is less than 0.7.

“Treating an HIV-1 infection in a subject” refers to slowing, stoppingor reversing the progression of an HIV-1 disorder in the subject. In thepreferred embodiment, “treating” refers to reversing the progression tothe point of eliminating the disorder. As used herein, “treating” alsomeans reducing the number of viral infections, reducing the number ofinfectious viral particles, reducing the number of virally infectedcells, or ameliorating symptoms associated with HIV-1. Reducing viralload in a subject is one embodiment of treating the subject.

Embodiments of the Invention

This method provides a method for reducing HIV-1 viral load in anHIV-1-infected human subject which comprises administering to thesubject at a predefined interval effective HIV-1 viral load-reducingdoses of (a) a humanized antibody designated PRO140, or of (b) ananti-CCR5 receptor monoclonal antibody which (i) binds to CD4+ CCR5+cells in the subject and inhibits fusion of HIV-1 with such cells, (ii)inhibits HIV-1 fusion with CD4+CCR5+ cells with a potency equal orgreater than that of PRO140, (iii) coats CD4+CCR5+ cells in the subjectwithout reducing the number of such cells in the subject, and/or (iv)binds to the subject's CD4+CCR5+ cells without inducing an increase inthe subject's plasma concentration of circulating β-chemokines, whereinPRO140 comprises (i) two light chains, each light chain comprising theexpression product of the plasmid designated pVK:HuPRO140-VK (ATCCDeposit Designation PTA-4097), and (ii) two heavy chains, each heavychain comprising the expression product of either the plasmid designatedpVg4:HuPRO140 HG2-VH (ATCC Deposit Designation PTA-4098) or the plasmiddesignated pVg4:HuPRO140 (mut B+D+I)-VH (ATCC Deposit DesignationPTA-4099), wherein the effective HIV-1 viral load-reducing dosecomprises from 0.1 mg per kg to 10 mg per kg of the subject's bodyweight, so as to thereby reduce the subject's HIV-1 viral load.

In one embodiment, the anti-CCR5 receptor monoclonal antibody binds tothe same CCR5 epitope as that to which PRO140 binds. The anti-CCR5receptor monoclonal antibody can be, for example, a humanized, human, orchimeric antibody. In the preferred embodiment, the antibodyadministered to the subject is the antibody designated PRO140.

In one embodiment, the effective viral load-reducing dose is from 0.25mg per kg to 7.5 mg per kg of the subject's body weight. In anotherembodiment, the dose is from 0.5 mg per kg to 5 mg per kg of thesubject's body weight. In another embodiment, the dose is from 1 mg perkg to 3 mg per kg of the subject's body weight. In another embodiment,the dose is 2 mg per kg of the subject's body weight.

In another embodiment, the effective viral load-reducing dose issufficient to achieve in the subject a serum concentration of theantibody of at least 400 ng/ml. In a further embodiment, the dosesadministered at regular intervals are sufficient to achieve and maintainin the subject a serum concentration of the antibody of at least 1μg/ml. In a further embodiment, the doses are sufficient to achieve andmaintain in the subject a serum concentration of the antibody of about 3to about 12 μg/ml. In a further embodiment, the doses are sufficient toachieve and maintain in the subject a serum concentration of theantibody of at least 5 μg/ml. In a further embodiment, the doses aresufficient to achieve and maintain in the subject a serum concentrationof the antibody of at least 10 μg/ml. In a further embodiment, the dosesare sufficient to achieve and maintain in the subject a serumconcentration of the antibody of at least 25 μg/ml. In a furtherembodiment, the doses are sufficient to achieve and maintain in thesubject a serum concentration of the antibody of at least 50 μg/ml.

In one embodiment of the invention, the predefined interval is at leastonce weekly. In another embodiment, the predefined interval is every twoto four weeks. In a further embodiment, the predefined interval is everytwo weeks, or every four weeks. In a further embodiment, the predefinedinterval is at least once monthly, every six weeks or every eight weeks.In another embodiment of the invention, the reduction of the subject'sHIV-1 viral load is maintained for at least one week. In anotherembodiment, the subject's HIV-1 viral load is maintained for at leasttwo weeks. In another embodiment, the reduction of the subject's HIV-1viral load is maintained for at least four weeks. In another embodiment,the reduction of the subject's HIV-1 viral load is maintained for atleast three months.

In one embodiment, the antibody is administered via intravenousinfusion. In another embodiment, the antibody is administered viasubcutaneous injection. In one embodiment, the subject's HIV-1 viralload is reduced by at least 50% following administration of theantibody. In another embodiment, the subject's HIV-1 viral load isreduced by at least 70% following administration of the antibody, andpreferably, is reduced by at least 90% following administration of theantibody.

In one embodiment of this invention, the method further comprisesadministering to the subject at least one anti-HIV-1 anti-retroviralagent. The anti-HIV-1 anti-retroviral agent can be, for example, anonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), a nucleosidereverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), a protease inhibitor (PI), afusion inhibitor, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, thesubject is treatment-naïve. In the preferred embodiment, the subject istreatment-experienced.

In another embodiment, (a) prior to administering the monoclonalantibody to the subject, the subject has received treatment with atleast one anti-HIV-1 anti-retroviral agent, and (b) concurrent withadministering the monoclonal antibody, the subject continues to receivetreatment with the agent or agents, so as to enhance the reduction ofHIV-1 viral load in the subject. The anti-HIV-1 anti-retroviral agentcan be, for example, a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor(NNRTI), a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), a proteaseinhibitor (PI), a fusion inhibitor, or any combination thereof.

This invention also provides a method for inhibiting in a human subjectthe onset or progression of an HIV-1-associated disorder, the inhibitionof which is effected by inhibiting fusion of HIV-1 to CCR5⁺CD4⁺ targetcells in the subject, comprising administering to the subject at apredefined interval effective fusion-inhibitory doses of a humanizedantibody designated PRO140, or of an anti-CCR5 receptor antibody which(i) binds to CD4+CCR5+ cells in the subject and inhibits fusion of HIV-1with such cells, (ii) inhibits HIV-1 fusion with the subject's CD4+CCR5+cells with a potency characterized by an IC90 of 10 μg/ml or less, (iii)coats the subject's CD4+CCR5+ cells without reducing the number of suchcells in the subject, and/or (iv) binds to the subject's CD4+CCR5+ cellswithout inducing an increase in the subject's plasma concentration ofcirculating β-chemokines, wherein PRO140 comprises (i) two light chains,each light chain comprising the expression product of the plasmiddesignated pVK:HuPRO140-VK (ATCC Deposit Designation PTA-4097), and (ii)two heavy chains, each heavy chain comprising the expression product ofeither the plasmid designated pVg4:HuPRO140 HG2-VH (ATCC DepositDesignation PTA-4098) or the plasmid designated pVg4:HUPRO140 (mutB+D+I)-VH (ATCC Deposit Designation PTA-4099), wherein eachadministration of the antibody delivers to the subject from 0.1 mg perkg to 10 mg per kg of the subject's body weight, so as to therebyinhibit the onset or progression of the HIV-1-associated disorder in thesubject.

This invention further provides a method for reducing the likelihood ofa human subject's contracting an HIV-1 infection which comprisesadministering to the subject at a predefined interval effectivefusion-inhibitory doses of a humanized antibody designated PRO140, or ofan anti-CCR5 receptor antibody which (i) binds to CD4+CCR5+ cells in thesubject and inhibits fusion of HIV-1 with such cells, (ii) inhibitsHIV-1 fusion with the subject's CD4+CCR5+ cells with a potencycharacterized by an IC90 of 10 μg/ml or less, (iii) coats the subject'sCD4+CCR5+ cells without reducing the number of such cells in thesubject, and/or (iv) binds to the subject's CD4+CCR5+ cells withoutinducing an increase in the subject's plasma concentration ofcirculating β-chemokines, wherein PRO140 comprises (i) two light chains,each light chain comprising the expression product of the plasmiddesignated pVK:HuPRO140-VK (ATCC Deposit Designation PTA-4097), and (ii)two heavy chains, each heavy chain comprising the expression product ofeither the plasmid designated pVg4:HuPRO140 HG2-VH (ATCC DepositDesignation PTA-4098) or the plasmid designated pVg4:HuPRO140 (mutB+D+I)-VH (ATCC Deposit Designation PTA-4099), wherein eachadministration of the antibody delivers to the subject from 0.1 mg perkg to 10 mg per kg of the subject's body weight, so as to thereby reducethe likelihood of the subject's contracting an HIV-1 infection. In oneembodiment, the subject has been exposed to HIV-1. In anotherembodiment, the subject is at risk of being exposed to HIV-1.

The present invention also provides a method for reducing HIV-1 viralload in an HIV-1-infected human subject who has developed resistance toa form of anti-HIV-1 therapy, which method comprises administering tothe subject at a predefined interval effective HIV-1 viral load-reducingdoses of (a) a humanized antibody designated PRO140, or of (b) ananti-CCR5 receptor monoclonal antibody which (i) binds to CD4+CCR5+cells in the subject and inhibits fusion of HIV-1 with such cells, (ii)inhibits HIV-1 fusion with CD4+CCR5+ cells with a potency equal orgreater than that of PRO140, (iii) coats CD4+CCR5+ cells in the subjectwithout reducing the number of such cells in the subject, and/or (iv)binds to the subject's CD4+CCR5+ cells without inducing an increase inthe subject's plasma concentration of circulating β-chemokines, whereinPRO140 comprises (i) two light chains, each light chain comprising theexpression product of the plasmid designated pVK:HuPRO140-VK (ATCCDeposit Designation PTA-4097), and (ii) two heavy chains, each heavychain comprising the expression product of either the plasmid designatedpVg4:HuPRO140 HG2-VH (ATCC Deposit Designation PTA-4098) or the plasmiddesignated pVg4:HuPRO140 (mut B+D+I)-VH (ATCC Deposit DesignationPTA-4099), wherein the effective HIV-1 viral load-reducing dosecomprises from 0.1 mg per kg to 10 mg per kg of the subject's bodyweight, so as to thereby reduce the subject's HIV-1 viral load.

In one embodiment, the form of anti-HIV-1 therapy is a nonnucleosidereverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), a nucleoside reversetranscriptase inhibitor (NRTI), a protease inhibitor (PI), a fusioninhibitor, or any combination thereof. In another embodiment, the fusioninhibitor is a non-antibody CCR5 antagonist. In a further embodiment,the non-antibody CCR5 antagonist is a small-molecule CCR5 antagonist. Inyet another embodiment, the small-molecule CCR5 antagonist is orallyadministered.

In the methods of this invention, the antibody may be administered atthe same time, concurrently, prior to the administration of thesmall-molecule CCR5 antagonist or subsequent to the administration ofthe small-molecule CCR5 antagonist. With respect to the administrationof two or more agents to a subject in order to treat the subject, eachagent may be administered to the subject within the same treatment timeperiod as is each other agent. The agents can be administered together,at the same time and in the same or different compositions or via thesame or different routes of administration. Alternatively, each agent isadministered via a dosing regimen (e.g., frequency, route and amount)different from that by which each other agent is administered. Forexample, the first of two administered agents (e.g., an antibody) may beadministered via subcutaneous injection at two-week intervals for aone-year treatment time period, whereas during that same one-yearperiod, the second administered agent (e.g., a small molecule) is orallyadministered twice per day. Accordingly, “concurrent administration”refers to the administration of at least two agents within one treatmentperiod.

This invention also provides a method for treating a subject infectedwith HIV-1 comprising administering to the subject (a) an antibody which(i) binds to a CCR5 receptor on the surface of the subject's CD4⁺ cellsand (ii) inhibits fusion of HIV-1 to the subject's CCR5⁺CD4+ cells, and(b) a non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist, in amounts effective totreat the subject.

This invention also provides a method for inhibiting in a subject theonset or progression of an HIV-1-associated disorder, the inhibition ofwhich is effected by inhibiting fusion of HIV-1 to CCR5⁺CD4+ targetcells in the subject, comprising administering to the subject (a) anantibody which (i) binds to a CCR5 receptor on the surface of thesubject's CD4⁺ cells and (ii) inhibits fusion of HIV-1 to the subject'sCCR5⁺CD4+ cells, and (b) a non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist, inamounts effective to inhibit the onset or progression of theHIV-1-associated disorder in the subject.

This invention further provides a method for reducing the likelihood ofa subject's contracting an HIV-1 infection comprising administering tothe subject (a) an antibody which (i) binds to a CCR5 receptor on thesurface of the subject's CD4⁺ cells and (ii) inhibits fusion of HIV-1 tothe subject's CCR5⁺CD4+ cells, and (b) a non-antibody CCR5 receptorantagonist, in amounts effective to reduce the likelihood of thesubject's contracting an HIV-1 infection. In one embodiment, the subjecthas been exposed to HIV-1. In another embodiment, the subject is at riskof being exposed to HIV-1.

This invention also relates to the effect of the combination of distinctclasses of compounds which bind to CCR5, namely anti-CCR5 mAbs andnon-antibody CCR5 antagonists, on HIV-1 fusion to, and entry into,susceptible target cells. Synergistic inhibition of HIV-1 infection oftarget cells has previously been demonstrated using combinations ofdifferent HIV-1 entry inhibitors. However, no prior study has examinedthe combination of different classes of inhibitors which target the sameCCR5 coreceptor.

Specifically, this invention also provides a method for treating asubject infected with HIV-1 comprising administering to the subject (a)an antibody which (i) binds to a CCR5 receptor on the surface of thesubject's CD4⁺ cells and (ii) inhibits fusion of HIV-1 to the subject'sCCR5⁺CD4+ cells, and (b) a non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist, inamounts effective to treat the subject.

This invention further provides a method for inhibiting in a subject theonset or progression of an HIV-1-associated disorder, the inhibition ofwhich is effected by inhibiting fusion of HIV-1 to CCR5⁺CD4⁺ targetcells in the subject, comprising administering to the subject (a) anantibody which (i) binds to a CCR5 receptor on the surface of thesubject's CD4⁺ cells and (ii) inhibits fusion of HIV-1 to the subject'sCCR5⁺CD4+ cells, and (b) a non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist, inamounts effective to inhibit the onset or progression of theHIV-1-associated disorder in the subject.

This invention also provides a method for reducing the likelihood of asubject's contracting an HIV-1 infection comprising administering to thesubject (a) an antibody which (i) binds to a CCR5 receptor on thesurface of the subject's CD4⁺ cells and (ii) inhibits fusion of HIV-1 tothe subject's CCR5⁺CD4+ cells, and (b) a non-antibody CCR5 receptorantagonist, in amounts effective to reduce the likelihood of thesubject's contracting an HIV-1 infection. In one embodiment, the subjecthas been exposed to HIV-1. In another embodiment, the subject is at riskof being exposed to HIV-1.

This invention also provides a method of potentiating HIV-1 inhibitoryactivity of (i) an anti-CCR5 receptor monoclonal antibody or (ii) anon-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist in the treatment of HIV-1infection in a subject, comprising: administering to the subject anHIV-1 inhibitory activity potentiating amount of the anti-CCR5 receptormonoclonal antibody in combination with an HIV-1 inhibitory activitypotentiating amount of a non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist, whereinthe combination produces a synergistic effect on inhibiting HIV-1infection, thereby potentiating the inhibitory activity of (i) theanti-CCR5 receptor monoclonal antibody or (ii) the non-antibody CCR5receptor antagonist. In one embodiment, due to the synergistic effect,the non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist causes an approximately 4- to10-fold dose reduction of the anti-CCR5 receptor monoclonal antibody andthe anti-CCR5 receptor monoclonal antibody causes an approximately 3- to16-fold dose reduction of the non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist.

In another embodiment, the method comprises an HIV-1 inhibitory activitypotentiating amount of one or more non-antibody CCR5 receptorantagonists. In another embodiment, the method comprises an HIV-1inhibitory activity potentiating amount of one or more anti-CCR5receptor monoclonal antibodies. In yet another embodiment, the anti-CCR5receptor monoclonal antibody and the non-antibody CCR5 receptorantagonist are concurrently administered to the subject.

In one embodiment, the monoclonal antibody is PA14 produced by thehybridoma cell line designated PA14 (ATCC Accession No. HB-12610), or anantibody that competes with monoclonal antibody PA-14 in binding to theCCR5 receptor. In another embodiment, the monoclonal antibody is thehumanized antibody designated PRO140, or an antibody that competes withPRO140 in binding to the CCR5 receptor, wherein PRO140 comprises (i) twolight chains, each light chain comprising the expression product of theplasmid designated pVK:HuPRO140-VK (ATCC Deposit Designation PITA-4097),and (ii) two heavy chains, each heavy chain comprising the expressionproduct of either the plasmid designated pVg4:HuPRO140 HG2-VH (ATCCDeposit Designation PTA-4098) or the plasmid designated pVg4:HuPRO140(mut B+D+I)-VH (ATCC Deposit Designation PTA-4099). In anotherembodiment, the monoclonal antibody is the humanized antibody designatedPRO140. In yet another embodiment, the monoclonal antibody is CCR5mAb004or 2D7.

In one embodiment, the non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist is SCH-D,TAK-779, TAK-652, UK-427,857, RANTES, GW873140, or a combinationthereof. In another embodiment, the non-antibody CCR5 receptorantagonist is a small organic molecule that competes with SCH-D inbinding to the CCR5 receptor. In another embodiment, the non-antibodyCCR5 receptor antagonist is a small organic molecule that competes withUK-427,857 in binding to the CCR5 receptor. In yet another embodiment,the non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist is a small organic moleculethat competes with TAK-779 in binding to the CCR5 receptor. In oneembodiment, the non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist is a small organicmolecule that competes with TAK-652 in binding to the CCR5 receptor. Inanother embodiment, the non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist is a smallorganic molecule that competes with GW873140 in binding to the CCR5receptor.

In one embodiment of any of the methods described herein, the anti-CCR5antibody is a monoclonal antibody. In another embodiment, the antibodyis a polyclonal antibody. In a further embodiment, the antibody is ahumanized antibody. In a still further embodiment, the antibody is ahuman antibody. In an additional embodiment, the antibody is a chimericantibody. In one embodiment, the antibody is the anti-CCR5 humanantibody designated CCR5mAb004, produced by Human Genome Sciences.

Murine hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodies PA8, PA9, PA10, PA11,PA12 and PA14 were deposited pursuant to, and in satisfaction of, therequirements of the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition ofthe Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure (the“Budapest treaty”) with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC),10801 University Boulevard, Manassas, Va. 20110-2209 on Dec. 2, 1998under the following Accession Nos.: ATCC Accession No. HB-12605 (PA8),ATCC Accession No. HB-12606 (PA9), ATCC Accession No. 12607 (PA10), ATCCAccession No. HB-12608 (P11), ATCC Accession No. HB-12609 (PA12), andATCC Accession No. HB-12610 (PA14).

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the monoclonalantibody is PA14 produced by the hybridoma cell line designated PA14(ATCC Accession No. HB-12610), or an antibody that competes withmonoclonal antibody PA14's binding to the CCR5 receptor. In a stillfurther embodiment, the monoclonal antibody is an antibody that binds tothe same epitope as that to which monoclonal antibody PA14 binds. Whenbinding to the same epitope occurs, competitive inhibition results.

In another embodiment, the monoclonal antibody is selected from thegroup consisting of PA14 produced by the hybridoma designated PA14 (ATCCAccession No. HB-12610), PA8 produced by the hybridoma designated PA8(ATCC Accession No. HB-12605), PA9 produced by the hybridoma designatedPA9 (ATCC Accession No. HB-12606), PA10 produced by the hybridomadesignated PA10 (ATCC Accession No. HB-12607), PA11 produced by thehybridoma designated PA11 (ATCC Accession No. HB-12608), PA12 producedby the hybridoma designated PA12 (ATCC Accession No. HB-12609), and 2D7(Wu et al., 1997). In a further embodiment, the monoclonal antibody isPA14.

One skilled in the art would know how to make the humanized antibodiesof the subject invention. Various publications, several of which arehereby incorporated by reference into this application, also describehow to make humanized antibodies. For example, the methods described inU.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567 comprise the production of chimeric antibodieshaving a variable region of one antibody and a constant region ofanother antibody.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,539 describes another approach for the production ofa humanized antibody. This patent describes the use of recombinant DNAtechnology to produce a humanized antibody wherein the CDRs of avariable region of one immunoglobulin are replaced with the CDRs from animmunoglobulin with a different specificity such that the humanizedantibody would recognize the desired target but would not be recognizedin a significant way by the human subject's immune system. Specifically,site-directed mutagenesis is used to graft the CDRs onto the framework.

Other approaches for humanizing an antibody are described in U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,585,089 and 5,693,761, and PCT International Publication No. WO90/07861, which describe methods for producing humanizedimmunoglobulins. These have one or more CDRs and possible additionalamino acids from a donor immunoglobulin and a framework region from anaccepting human immunoglobulin. These patents describe a method toincrease the affinity of an antibody for the desired antigen. Some aminoacids in the framework are chosen to be the same as the amino acids atthose positions in the donor rather than in the acceptor. Specifically,these patents describe the preparation of a humanized antibody thatbinds to a receptor by combining the CDRs of a mouse monoclonal antibodywith human immunoglobulin framework and constant regions. Humanframework regions can be chosen to maximize homology with the mousesequence. A computer model can be used to identify amino acids in theframework region which are likely to interact with the CDRs or thespecific antigen and then mouse amino acids can be used at thesepositions to create the humanized antibody. The above methods are merelyillustrative of some of the methods that one skilled in the art couldemploy to make humanized antibodies.

Methods for making fully human antibodies are also well known to oneskilled in the art. For example, fully human monoclonal antibodies canbe prepared by immunizing animals transgenic for large portions of humanimmunoglobulin heavy and light chain loci. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos.5,591,669, 5,545,806, 5,545,807, 6,150,584, and references citedtherein, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.These transgenic animals have been genetically modified such that thereis a functional deletion in the production of endogenous (e.g., murine)antibodies. The animals are further modified to contain all or a portionof the human germ-line immunoglobulin gene locus such that immunizationof these animals will result in the production of fully human antibodiesto the antigen of interest. Following immunization of these animals(e.g., XenoMouse® (Abgenix), HuMAb-Mouse® (Medarex/GenPharm)),monoclonal antibodies can be prepared according to standard hybridomatechnology. These monoclonal antibodies will have human immunoglobulinamino acid sequences and therefore will not provoke human anti-mouseantibody (HAMA) responses when administered to humans.

In vitro methods also exist for producing human antibodies. Theseinclude phage display technology (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,565,332 and5,573,905) and in vitro stimulation of human B cells (U.S. Pat. Nos.5,229,275 and 5,567,610). The contents of these patents are incorporatedherein by reference.

Nucleic acids encoding heavy and light chains of the humanized PRO140antibody have been deposited with the ATCC. Specifically, the plasmidsdesignated pVK-HuPRO140, pVg4-HuPRO140 (mut B+D+I) and pVg4-HuPRO140HG2, respectively, were deposited pursuant to, and in satisfaction of,the requirements of the Budapest Treaty with the ATCC, Manassas, Va.,U.S.A. 20108, on Feb. 22, 2002, under ATCC Accession Nos. PTA 4097, PTA4099 and PTA 4098, respectively.

In a preferred embodiment of the instant methods, the monoclonalantibody is the humanized antibody designated PRO140 or an antibody thatcompetes with PRO140's binding to the CCR5 receptor, wherein PRO140comprises (i) two light chains, each light chain comprising theexpression product of the plasmid designated pVK:HuPRO140-VK (ATCCDeposit Designation PTA-4097), and (ii) two heavy chains, each heavychain comprising the expression product of either the plasmid designatedpVg4:HuPRO140 HG2-VH (ATCC Deposit Designation PTA-4098) or the plasmiddesignated pVg4:HuPRO140 (mut B+D+I)-VH (ATCC Deposit DesignationPTA-4099). In a further embodiment, the monoclonal antibody is ahumanized or human antibody that binds to the same epitope as that towhich antibody PRO140 binds. In another embodiment, the monoclonalantibody is the humanized antibody designated PRO140. In a furtherembodiment, the monoclonal antibody is the human antibody designatedCCR5mAb004 (Roschke et al., 2004; HGS Press Release, 2004; 2005).

In one embodiment of the methods described herein, the portion of theantibody comprises a light chain of the antibody. In another embodiment,the portion of the antibody comprises a heavy chain of the antibody. Ina further embodiment, the portion of the antibody comprises an Fabportion of the antibody. In a still further embodiment, the portion ofthe antibody comprises an F(ab′)₂ portion of the antibody. In anadditional embodiment, the portion of the antibody comprises an Fdportion of the antibody. In another embodiment, the portion of theantibody comprises an Fv portion of the antibody. In a furtherembodiment, the portion of the antibody comprises a variable domain ofthe antibody. In a still further embodiment, the portion of the antibodycomprises one or more CDR domains of the antibody. In yet anotherembodiment, the portion of the antibody comprises six CDR domains of theantibody.

In one embodiment of the instant methods, the antibody is administeredto the subject a plurality of times and each administration of theantibody delivers from 0.01 mg per kg body weight to 50 mg per kg bodyweight of the antibody to the subject. In another embodiment, eachadministration of the antibody delivers from 0.05 mg per kg body weightto 25 mg per kg body weight of the antibody to the subject. In a furtherembodiment, each administration of the antibody delivers from 0.1 mg perkg body weight to 10 mg per kg body weight of the antibody to thesubject. In a still further embodiment, each administration of theantibody delivers from 0.5 mg per kg body weight to 5 mg per kg bodyweight of the antibody to the subject. In another embodiment, eachadministration of the antibody delivers from 1 mg per kg body weight to3 mg per kg body weight of the antibody to the subject. In a preferredembodiment, each administration of the antibody delivers about 2 mg perkg body weight of the antibody to the subject.

In one embodiment, the antibody is administered a plurality of times,and a first administration of the antibody is separated from thesubsequent administration of the antibody by an interval of less thanone week. In another embodiment, the first administration of theantibody is separated from the subsequent administration of the antibodyby an interval of at least one week. In a further embodiment, the firstadministration of the antibody is separated from the subsequentadministration of the antibody by an interval of one week. In anotherembodiment, the first administration of the antibody is separated fromthe subsequent administration of the antibody by an interval of two tofour weeks. In a preferred embodiment, the first administration of theantibody is separated from the subsequent administration of the antibodyby an interval of two weeks. In a further embodiment, the firstadministration of the antibody is separated from the subsequentadministration of the antibody by an interval of four weeks. In yetanother embodiment, the antibody is administered a plurality of times,and a first administration of the antibody is separated from thesubsequent administration of the antibody by an interval of at least onemonth.

In a further embodiment, the antibody is administered to the subject viaintravenous infusion. In a preferred embodiment, the antibody isadministered to the subject via subcutaneous injection. In anotherembodiment, the antibody is administered to the subject viaintramuscular injection.

In one embodiment of the instant methods, the non-antibody CCR5 receptorantagonist is a small organic molecule. In another embodiment, the CCR5receptor antagonist is selected from the group consisting of SCH-D,UK-427,857, TAK-779, TAK-652, GW873140 and RANTES. In a furtherembodiment, the CCR5 receptor antagonist is an agent that competes withSCH-D's binding to the CCR5 receptor. In a still further embodiment, theCCR5 receptor antagonist is an agent that competes with UK-427,857'sbinding to the CCR5 receptor. In another embodiment, the CCR5 receptorantagonist is an agent that competes with TAK-779's binding to the CCR5receptor. In yet another embodiment, the CCR5 receptor antagonist is anagent that competes with TAK-652's binding to the CCR5 receptor. In afurther embodiment, the CCR5 receptor antagonist is an agent thatcompetes with GW873140's binding to the CCR5 receptor.

In an additional embodiment of the methods described herein, the CCR5receptor antagonist is administered a plurality of times and eachadministration of the CCR5 receptor antagonist delivers from 0.5 mg to2,500 mg of the antagonist to the subject. In another embodiment, eachadministration of the CCR5 receptor antagonist delivers from 5 mg to1,250 mg of the antagonist to the subject. In yet another embodiment,each administration of the CCR5 receptor antagonist delivers from 5 mgto 15 mg of the antagonist to the subject. In a further embodiment, eachadministration of the CCR5 receptor antagonist delivers from 50 mg to1,250 mg of the antagonist to the subject. In a still furtherembodiment, each administration of the CCR5 receptor antagonist deliversfrom 200 mg to 800 mg of the antagonist to the subject. In anotherembodiment, each administration of the CCR5 receptor antagonist deliversfrom 300 mg to 600 mg of the antagonist.

Because of their rapid clearance, small-molecule CCR5 receptorantagonists require at least daily or twice-daily dosing in order tomaintain selective pressure on the virus. Table 3 summarizes the dosingregimens employed with various small-molecule CCR5 antagonists currentlyundergoing clinical trials. In one embodiment of the present methods,the CCR5 receptor antagonist is administered orally to the subject atleast once per day. In another embodiment, the CCR5 receptor antagonistis administered orally to the subject once or twice per day. In afurther embodiment, the CCR5 receptor antagonist is administered orallythree or fewer times per day.

TABLE 3 Dosing regimens of small-molecule CCR5 receptor antagonistsundergoing clinical trials Compound Dosage^(a) Clinical Trial SCH-D 5-15mg daily Phase II UK-427, 857 300 mg daily or twice daily Phase II andIII GW873140 50-1200 mg once daily, or 200-800 mg Phase II daily ortwice daily

Dosages are indicated for the CCR5 antagonists at www.clinicaltrials.govweb site sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and InfectiousDiseases (NIAID). Dosage information for GW873140 was obtained fromDemarest et al. (2004).

Additionally, one embodiment of the instant methods further comprisesadministering to the subject at least one anti-HIV-1, anti-retroviralagent. Since the approval of the nucleoside-analog reverse transcriptaseinhibitor (NRTI) AZT (zidovudine) in 1987, the HIV-1 armamentarium hasgrown to at least 21 drugs and prodrugs representing 4 treatmentclasses: eight NRTIs, three non-nucleoside reverse transcriptaseinhibitors (NNRTIs), nine protease inhibitors (PIs), and one fusioninhibitor (FI) (see Table 4). In another embodiment, the anti-retroviralagent is a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), anucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), a protease inhibitor(PI), a fusion inhibitor, or any combination thereof. In furtherembodiments, the at least one anti-retroviral agent is one of the agentslisted in Table 4 or any combination of these agents. Variousanti-retroviral agents are marketed in combinations (see Table 5 forsuch combinations and dosing regimens) for more efficacious therapy. Inembodiments of the present methods, anti-retroviral agents areadministered to the subject in amounts shown in Table 5. In a preferredembodiment, the anti-retroviral agent is a NNRTI or a PI.

In another embodiment of the instant invention, the subject istreatment-naïve, i.e., the subject has not previously undergonetreatment with any anti-HIV-1, anti-retroviral agents. In a preferredembodiment, the subject is treatment-experienced, i.e., the subject hasundergone, and/or is undergoing, treatment with one or more anti-HIV-1,anti-retroviral agents, such as one or more agents listed in Table 4. Ina preferred embodiment, the instant methods are used in a program ofcombination therapy for treating HIV-1 infection, wherein an anti-CCR5mAb and a non-antibody CCR5 antagonist are administered in combinationwith one or more anti-retroviral agents to a subject in need of suchtreatment.

TABLE 4 Approved HIV-1 inhibitors Inhibitor Manufacturer NucleosideReverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs) Retrovir ® (AZT)GlaxoSmithKline Epivir ® (3TC) GlaxoSmithKline Emtriva ® (emtricitabine)Gilead Sciences Hivid ® (ddC) Hoffmann-La Roche Videx ® (ddI)Bristol-Myers Squibb Viread ® (tenofovir DF) Gilead Sciences Zerit ®(d4T) Bristol-Myers Squibb Ziagen ® (abacavir) GlaxoSmithKlineNon-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs) Rescriptor ®(delavirdine) Pfizer Sustiva ® (efavirenz) Bristol-Myers SquibbViramune ® (nevirapine) Boehringer Ingelheim Protease Inhibitors (PIs)Agenerase ® (amprenavir) GlaxoSmithKline/Vertex Aptivus ®(tipranivir)^(a) Boehringer Ingelheim Crixivan ® (indinavir) Merck & Co.Invirase ® (saquinavir) Hoffmann-La Roche Lexiva ® (fosamprenavir)GlaxoSmithKline/Vertex Lopinavir^(b) Abbott Laboratories Norvir ®(ritonavir) Abbott Laboratories Reyataz ® (atazanavir) Bristol-MyersSquibb Viracept ® (nelfinavir) Pfizer Fusion Inhibitors (Fis) Fuzeon ®(T-20) Trimeris/Hoffmann-La Roche ^(a)To be co-administered withritonavir to boost therapeutic levels of Aptivus ®. ^(b)Sold only incombination with ritonavir under the trade name Kaletra ®.

TABLE 5 Dosing regimens of marketed HIV-1 antiviral agents Generic NameBrand/other Name Dosage* Formulation Manufacturer Approval dateNonnucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs) DelavirdineRescriptor, DLV 400 (4 × 100 or 2 × 200) mg Tablet Pfizer Apr. 04, 1997tid Efavirenz Sustiva, EFV 600 mg qd Tablet Bristol-Myers Squibb Sep.17, 1998 Nevirapine Viramune, NVP 200 mg bid (qd first 2 TabletBoehringer Ingelheim Jun. 21, 1996 wks of Rx) Nucleoside ReverseTranscriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs) Abacavir Ziagen, ABC 600 (2 × 300) mgqd or Tablet GlaxoSmithKline Dec. 17, 1998 300 mg bid Abacavir, Epzicom**600/300 mg qd Tablet GlaxoSmithKline Aug. 02, 2004 LamivudineAbacavir, Trizivir **300/150/300 mg qd Tablet GlaxoSmithKline Nov. 14,2000 Lamivudine, Zidovudine Didanosine Videx, ddI, Videx 400 mg qd (≧60kg) or Delayed- Bristol-Myers Squibb Oct. 09, 1991; EC 250 mg qd (<60kg) release Capsule Oct. 31, 2000 (EC) Emtricitabine Emtriva, FTC, 200mg qd Capsule Gilead Sciences Jul. 02, 2003 Coviracil EmtricitabineTTruvada **200/300 mg qd Tablet Gilead Sciences Aug. 02, 2004 enofovir DFLamivudine Epivir, 3TC 300 mg qd or 150 mg bid Tablet GlaxoSmithKlineNov. 17, 1995 Lamivudine, Combivir **150/300 mg bid TabletGlaxoSmithKline Sep. 27, 1997 Zidovudine Stavudine Zerit, d4T 40 mg bid(≧60 kg) or Capsule Bristol-Myers Squibb Jun. 24, 1994 30 mg bid (<60kg) Tenofovir DF Viread, TDF 300 mg qd Tablet Gilead Sciences Oct. 26,2001 Zalcitabine Hivid, ddC 0.750 mg tid Tablet Hoffmann-La Roche Jun.19, 1992 Zidovudine Retrovir, AZT, 300 mg bid or 200 Tablet orGlaxoSmithKline Mar. 19, 1987 ZDV (2 × 100) mg tid Capsule ProteaseInhibitors (PIs) Amprenavir Agenerase, APV 1200 (8 × 150) mg bid CapsuleGSK, Vertex Apr. 15, 1999 Atazanavir Reyataz, ATV Naïve pts: 400 (2 ×200) Capsule Bristol-Myers Squibb Jun. 20, 2003 mg qd Salvage: 300 (2 ×150) mg qd w/ritonavir 100 mg qd Fosamprenavir Lexiva, FPV 1400 (2 ×700) mg bid Tablet GSK, Vertex Oct. 20, 2003 Indinavir Crixivan, IDV 800(2 × 400) mg tid Capsule Merck Mar. 13, 1996 Lopinavir, Kaletra, LPV/r**400/100 Capsule Abbott Laboratories Sep. 15, 2000 Ritonavir (3 ×133.3/33.3) mg bid Nelfinavir Viracept, NFV 1250 mg (5 × 250 or 2 ×Tablet Agouron Mar. 14, 1997 625) bid or 750 mg (3 × 250) tid RitonavirNorvir, RTV 600 (6 × 100) mg bid Capsule Abbott Laboratories Mar. 01,1996 Saquinavir Fortovase, SQV 1200 (6 × 200) mg tid Capsule Hoffmann-LaRoche Nov. 07, 1997 Invirase 1000 (5 × 200) mg bid Capsule Hoffmann-LaRoche Dec. 06, 1995 w/ritonavir 100 mg bid Tipranivir Aptivus 1000 (2 ×250) mg bid w/ Capsule Boehringer Ingelheim Jun. 23, 2005 ritonavir (2 ×100) mg bid Fusion Inhibitors (FIs) Enfuvirtide Fuzeon, T-20 sc: 90 mg(1 ml) bid Reconstituted Hoffmann-La Mar. 13, 2003 solution Roche,Trimeris *Adult doses unadjusted for combination therapies; Route ofadministration: po unless otherwise indicated **Combination therapiesadministered in a single formulation Legend: qd = once daily bid = twicedaily tid = three times daily po = oral administration sc = subcutaneousadministration

This invention further provides a composition of matter comprising (a) amonoclonal antibody (e.g., PRO140) which (i) binds to a CCR5 receptorand (ii) inhibits fusion of HIV-1 to CCR5⁺CD4+ cells, and (b) anon-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist (e.g., any of SCH-D, UK-427,857,TAK-779, TAK-652, GW873140 and RANTES). The composition can furthercomprise a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. This invention alsoprovides a method for determining whether a monoclonal antibody (e.g.,PRO140) which (i) binds to a CCR5 receptor and (ii) inhibits fusion ofHIV-1 to CCR5⁺CD4+ cells, behaves synergistically with a non-antibodyCCR5 receptor antagonist with respect to inhibiting fusion of HIV-1 toCCR5⁺CD4+ cells, comprising determining the presence or absence of suchsynergy according to the experimental methods detailed below. Finally,this invention provides a kit for performing the instant methodscomprising, in separate compartments and preferably in readilyadministrable forms, (a) a monoclonal antibody (e.g., PRO140) which (i)binds to a CCR5 receptor and (ii) inhibits fusion of HIV-1 to CCR5⁺CD4+cells, and (b) a non-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist (e.g., any ofSCH-D, UK-427,857, TAK-779, TAK-652, GW873140 and RANTES). The antibodyand antagonist are each preferably admixed with a pharmaceuticallyacceptable carrier.

The following Experimental Details are set forth to aid in anunderstanding of the subject matter of this disclosure, but are notintended to, and should not be construed to, limit in any way the claimswhich follow thereafter.

EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS Part I Materials and Methods

Compounds and mAbs

PRO140 was prepared by expression in Sp2/0 cells using Hybridomaserum-free medium supplemented with 2 mM L-glutamine (Invitrogen,Carlsbad, Calif.). Bulk mAb was clarified using a 5.0 μm Depth filter(Sartorius, Goettingen, Germany) followed by passage over a 0.2 μmsterilizing grade filter (Sartorius). The mAb was purified by passagefirst over an affinity column (MabSelect Protein A column, Amersham,Piscataway, N.J.) and then by ion exchange chromatography (SP SepharoseCation Exchange resin, Amersham). PRO140 was nanofiltered using aViresolve™ 10 Opticap NFP capsule (Millipore, Billerica, Mass.) followedby a 0.2 μm filter and concentrated/diafiltered over disposable TFFcartridges (Millipore). The mAb was then polished over a hydroxyapatitecolumn (Bio-Rad, Hercules, Calif.), concentrated to 10 mg/ml inphosphate-buffered saline and stored at −70° C. or colder prior to use.

RANTES was purchased from R&D Systems (Minneapolis, Minn.). Theanti-CCR5 mAb 2D7 was purchased from BD Biosciences (Cat. #555993), andthe anti-CCR5 mAb CTC5 was purchased from R&D Systems (Cat. #FAB 1802P).

RET Assay

The HIV-1 RET assay has been described in detail previously (Litwin etal., 1996). Briefly, fluorescein octadecyl ester (F18; Molecular Probes,Eugene, Oreg.; 5 mg/ml in ethanol), was diluted 1:800 in DMEM labelingmedium (DMEM; Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.) with 10% fetal bovine serum(FBS; Hylone, Logan, Utah) and adjusted to an A₅₀₆ of 0.34±10%.Octadecyl rhodamine B chloride (R18; Molecular Probes; 10 mg/ml inethanol) was diluted 1:2050 in labeling medium and adjusted to an A₅₆₅of 0.52±10%. Both dyes were further diluted 2-fold by addition to cellsin T75-cm² flasks. HeLa-Env_(JRFL) and CEM NKR-CCR5 cells were incubatedovernight in F18- and R18-containing culture medium, respectively. Thefollowing day, medium from HeLa-Env_(JRFL) cells was removed and 10 mlof 0.5 mM EDTA was added and incubated at 37° C. for 5 min. EDTA wasremoved and the flask was returned to the incubator for another 5 minfollowed by striking of the flask to dislodge cells. Ten ml of PBS− with15% FBS were added to the flask and the contents were transferred to a50-ml conical centrifuge tube. Suspension CEM NKR-CCR5 cells were addeddirectly to a separate 50-ml conical centrifuge tube. Both cell lineswere centrifuged at 300×g for 5 min. The supernatant was discarded andcells were resuspended in 10 ml of PBS-/15% FBS. The centrifugation/washstep was repeated twice, after which the cells were counted andconcentrations adjusted to 1.5×10⁶ cells/ml. Ten μl of each cell type(15,000 cells) were seeded into wells of a 384-well plate. Inhibitorcompounds were added immediately thereafter to bring the final wellvolume to 40 μl, and the plates were incubated for 4 h at 37° C.Compounds were tested individually and in combination at a fixed molarratio or mass ratio over a range of serial dilutions. The plates werethen read on a fluorescence plate reader (Victor², Perkin Elmer, Boston,Mass.) using the excitation/emission filter combinations shown in Table6.

TABLE 6 Excitation/emission filter combinations for RET assay Scan No.Excitation wavelength Emission wavelength 1 450 nm/50 nm 530 nm/25 nm 2530 nm/25 nm 590 nm/35 nm 3 450 nm/50 nm 590 nm/35 nm

The “% RET” was calculated according to the following formula aftersubtraction of background (blank) readings:

%RET=100×[(A ₃−(A ₁ ×F _(spill))−(A ₂ ×F _(spill)))/A ₂]

Where:

-   -   F_(spill)=HeLa cells alone, Scan 3/Scan 1;    -   R_(spill)=CEM cells alone, Scan 3/Scan 2;    -   A₁=Scan 1 value for HeLa and CEM cells in combination;    -   A₂=Scan 2 value for HeLa and CEM cells in combination; and    -   A₃=Scan 3 value for HeLa and CEM cells in combination.

The “% Inhibition” was calculated according to the following formula:

%Inhibition=100×[(Max%RET−%RET for sample well)/(Max%RET−Min%RET)]

Where:

-   -   Max % RET=average of % RET values for HeLa and CEM cell        combination without added inhibitor; and    -   Min % RET=average of % RET values for HeLa and CEM cell        combination in presence of 500 ng/ml of Leu-3a mAb (an antibody        that targets CD4 and fully blocks fusion in the RET assay at        this concentration).

Fifty percent inhibition (IC₅₀) values were determined by fitting theinhibition data with a non-linear, four-parameter, variable slopeequation (GraphPad Prism, 4.02; GraphPad Software, San Diego, Calif.).Upper and lower inhibition values were constrained to 100% and 0%,respectively for curve fitting.

Preparation of PBMCs

Replication of authentic HIV-1 is measured in activated peripheral bloodmononuclear cells (PBMCs) using the monocyte/macrophage-tropic HIV-1clone, JRFL (HIV-1_(JRFL)), for these studies.

PBMCs are isolated from 4 separate donors (Leukopacks) by centrifugationon a Ficoll gradient. CD8 cells are depleted using RosetteSep CD8Depletion Cocktail (#15663, StemCell Research, Vancouver, BC). Cells arediluted to 4×10⁶/ml and added in equal parts to three T175-cm² flasksand then stimulated by addition of one of the following media: IL-2Medium [RPMI 1640 (#10-040-CV, Cellgro, Herndon, Va.), 10% FBS(#35-010-CV), 2 mM L-Glutamine (#25-005-CI), 100 U/ml IL-2 (Sigma, St.Louis, Mo.)]; PHA 5 Medium: [IL-2 Medium with 5 ug/ml PhytohemagglutininPHA-P (PHA) (#IL8754, Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.), filtered]; or PHA 0.5Medium: [IL-2 Medium with 0.5 ug/ml PHA, filtered]. Each flask receivesa total of 50-150 ml of medium. Flasks are incubated for 3 days at 37°C. followed by pooling of the contents prior to use in the infectionassay.

Virus Titration

Serial dilutions of virus are tested in quadruplicate on activated PBMCs(1.4×10⁵ PBMC/well). Titration Medium [IL-2 Medium with 100 IU/mlpenicillin/streptomycin (#30-002-CI, Cellgro)] is utilized for virustitrations. Fifty μl of diluted virus is added to 100 μl of PBMCs inflat bottom, tissue-culture treated 96-well plates (VWR# 29442-054,Corning, Corning, N.Y.) and the plates are incubated at 37° C. in ahumidified, 5% CO₂ incubator. After 7 days, 50 μl are removed from eachwell and tested for virus levels by p24 antigen ELISA (Perkin Elmer,Boston, Mass.). Virus titer is determined by the method of Reed andMuench (Table 11, see below).

Neutralization Assay

Stimulated PBMCs are seeded into wells of 96-well flat bottom plates ata density of 1.4×10⁵ cells/well. Virus is diluted to 2,000 TCID₅₀/ml andmixed with serial 0.5 log₁₀ dilutions of compound for 1 h at 37° C.prior to addition to the cell plates. The final amount of virus addedper well is 100 TCID₅₀. The final DMSO concentration in the assay isalways 0.5% whenever small molecule inhibitors are being tested. Platesare incubated at 37° C. for 5 days, at which time an aliquot ofsupernatant is removed for p24 antigen ELISA. If control wells (viruswithout inhibitor) exhibit low p24 antigen levels then the plates arebrought back to full volume with Titration medium and incubated for anadditional 24 h.

Data Analysis

Neutralization activity is displayed by plotting the percent inhibitionof p24 antigen production (after background values are subtracted fromall datapoints) versus log₁₀ drug concentration. The percent inhibitionis derived as follows [1−(p24 levels in the presence of drug/p24 levelsin the absence of drug)]×100. IC₅₀ values are determined by fitting theinhibition data with a non-linear, four-parameter, variable slopeequation (GraphPad Prism, ver. 4.02; GraphPad Software, San Diego,Calif.). Upper and lower inhibition values are constrained to 100% and0%, respectively for curve fitting.

Phase 1a Clinical Study

Individuals were treated in sequential, dose-rising cohorts of 5subjects (4 active and 1 placebo) each and evaluated for up to 120 dayspost-treatment. A population of healthy, i.e., HIV-1 uninfected, malevolunteers with no abnormal findings on physical exam, medical historyand ECG, aged 19-50, was administered a single intravenous infusion ofPRO140 (0.1, 0.5, 2.0 and 5.0 mg per kg body weight). Safety assessmentsconsisted of monitoring the following: vital signs (blood pressure,pulse, temperature, etc; hematology (hemoglobin, hematocrit, leukocytes,platelets, etc.); serum chemistries (AST/ALT, alkaline phosphatase, BUN,creatinine, etc.); urinalysis (pH, specific gravity, protein, glucose,leukocytes, etc.); and ECGs (12-lead).

Measurement of Coating of CCR5 Cells by PRO140

Whole blood specimens were combined separately with the indicatedphycoerythrin-labeled anti-CCR5 antibodies or with appropriateisotype-control antibodies. Erythocytes were lysed and leukocytes werestabilized using the ImmunoPrep Reagent System (Beckman Coulter), andthe cells were analyzed on a TQ Prep™ flow cytometry workstation(Beckman Coulter). Data were expressed as the percent of CCR5 cellsrelative to all cells gated in the analysis. CTC5 is an anti-CCR5antibody that does not compete with PRO140. 2D7 is an anti-CCR5 antibodythat does compete with PRO140.

Measurement of Serum Concentrations of PRO140

Sera were diluted as appropriate and combined with L1.2-CCR5 cells,which are mouse pre-B lymphoma cells engineered to stably express humanCCR5. In order to generate a standard curve, PRO 140 standard was testedin parallel at concentrations ranging from 0.062 to 4.0 μg/ml in 10%normal human serum (NHS). 10% NHS containing no PRO140 was analyzed as anegative control. Following incubation with test samples, cells werewashed and combined with a FITC-labeled sheep antibody against humanIgG4 (The Binding Site Limited, Cat. #AF009). Cells were washed againand analyzed by flow cytometry. The concentration of PRO140 wasdetermined by comparing the median fluorescence intensity (MFI) of thetest sample with MFI values of the standard curve.

Determination of Plasma RANTES Concentration

The assay employed the Quantikine™ Human RANTES Immunoassay Kit (R&DSystems, Minneapolis, Minn.). Briefly, platelet-poor plasma wascollected in CTAD/EDTA tubes and stored at −20° C. Test samples andRANTES standard were added to microtiter plates that were pre-coatedwith a mouse monoclonal antibody to RANTES. Following incubation, plateswere washed and contacted with an anti-RANTES polyclonal antibodyconjugated to horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Plates were washed againprior to addition of tetramethlybenzidine substrate for colorimetricdetection. The Lower Limit of Quantification of the assay was 415 pgRANTES/ml plasma.

Results and Discussion

PRO140 is a humanized IgG4,κ anti-CCR5 mAb being developed for HIV-1therapy. This antibody has been shown to broadly and potently inhibitCCR5-mediated fusion of HIV-1 to target cells in vitro. PRO140 is alsohighly active in a therapeutic hu-PBL-SCID mouse model, and preliminarydata are now available from a Phase 1a clinical study in healthy humansubjects.

In Vitro Antiviral Activity of PRO140

Murine and humanized PRO140 were tested against four primary R5HIV-1isolates as described in the Methods. FIG. 1 shows that PRO140 haspotent antiviral activity in vitro, neutralizing a variety of primary R5strains with an IC90 of 3-4 μg/ml. PRO140 exhibited similar antiviralactivity to the murine mAb, PA14, from which PRO140 is derived.

Preliminary Data from PHASE 1a Clinical Study

The primary objective of the Phase 1a study was to evaluate the safetyand tolerability of PRO140 given as a single dose in a rising dosecohort regimen in healthy male subjects. The secondary objectives were(1) to gain information about the pharmacokinetics of intravenouslyadministered PRO 140, and (2) to gain information on the effects ofPRO140 on blood levels of CCR5+ cells and chemokines.

Pharmacokinetics of PRO140

Healthy male volunteers were treated with a single intravenous infusionof PRO140 at dose levels of 0.1, 0.5, 2.0 and 5.0 mg/kg. PRO140 andplacebo were generally well tolerated with no significant changes inECGs and no dose-limiting toxicity.

Serum was collected post-treatment, cryopreserved, and analyzed forPRO140 levels. Peak serum concentrations ranged to 3 mg/ml at 0.1 mg/kgand 12 mg/ml at 0.5 mg/kg. Serum concentrations remained detectable(>400 ng/ml for up to 5 days at 0.1 mg/kg, 21 days at 0.5 mg/kg, and forover 60 days following a single 2 mg/kg injection (FIG. 7). Serumconcentrations of PRO140 increased proportionally with dose level, andthe clearance rate was similar to that of other humanized mAbs.Pharmacokinetic (PK) metrics were determined using WinNonLin (PharSightCorporation, Mountain View, Calif.) using a noncompartmental model, andthe terminal serum half-life of PRO140 was determined to be 10-12 days.As expected, no subject developed antibodies to the humanized PRO140.

Coating and Non-Depletion of CCR5 Lymphocytes by PRO140

Healthy male volunteers (n=4) were treated with a single intravenousinfusion of PRO140 at a dose level of 2 mg/kg. For up to 60 dayspost-treatment, at the times indicated in FIG. 6, blood was collectedand analyzed for CCR5 lymphocyte levels.

Following treatment with PRO140, there was no decrease in the overallnumber of CCR5 lymphocytes at measured by CTC5 binding; however, thebinding of antibody 2D7 was significantly decreased (FIG. 6). Backgroundbinding of isotype control antibodies was unchanged. Since the bindingof CTC5 is not decreased by the presence of PRO140, the CTC5-PE valuesare a measure of the total number of circulating CCR5 lymphocytes. Since2D7 competes with PRO140, the 2D7-PE values reflect the number of CCR5lymphocytes that are not coated with PRO140.

The data indicate that a single 2 mg/kg dose of PRO140 effectively coatsCCR5 lymphocytes without cellular depletion for two weeks, and cellsremain partially coated for >4 weeks. In addition, CCR5 coating was moreprolonged in patients treated with 5 mg/kg PRO140. The data indicatethat a single 5 mg/kg dose of PRO140 effectively coats CCR5 lymphocyteswithout cellular depletion and the cells remain partially coated for >60days (FIG. 13). Since CCR5 coating is the mechanism whereby PRO 140inhibits HIV, viral loads in HIV-infected individuals could be expectedto decrease in a similar temporal manner.

Effect of PRO140 on Plasma Chemokine Levels

Healthy male volunteers were treated with a single intravenous infusionof 0.1 mg/kg PRO140 (Cohort 1), 0.5 mg/kg PRO140 (Cohort 2) or matchedplacebo. Plasma was collected post-treatment at the indicated times,cryopreserved and analyzed for levels of RANTES, a CC-chemokine thatserves as a natural ligand for CCR5. RANTES levels were measured byELISA in platelet-depleted plasma pre-dose and up to 28 days post-dose.As shown in FIG. 8, there was no significant change in RANTES levelsfollowing PRO140 treatment (P>0.14 all times). These data are consistentwith in vitro findings that PRO140 does not antagonize CCR5 function.The findings suggest that PRO140 does not have untoward effects onCCR5-mediated immune function in treated patients.

The results described herein indicate that in addition to PRO140 broadlyand potently inhibiting CCR5-mediated HIV-1 entry without CCR5antagonism or other immunologic side effects in preclinical testing,this has demonstrated favorable tolerability, PK and immunologicprofiles in preliminary results from an ongoing Phase 1a study inhealthy volunteers. Thus, in many respects, PRO140 offers a novel andattractive product profile for anti-HIV-1 therapy.

Moreover, the activities of anti-CCR5 mAbs are fundamentally distinctfrom, but complementary to, those of small-molecule CCR5 antagonists(see Table 2) which are also currently undergoing human clinical trials.PRO140 has recently been shown to work synergistically with non-antibodyCCR5 antagonists in inhibiting CCR5-mediated HIV-1 fusion to targetcells. Accordingly, combination therapy comprising administration ofanti-CCR5 mAbs and non-antibody CCR5 antagonists may offer powerfullyeffective, new approaches to preventing and treating HIV-1 infection.

Part II Example 1 Combination Testing of PRO140 and HIV-1 EntryInhibitors in the Fluorescence ret ASSAY Materials and Methods

Compounds and mAbs

PRO140 was prepared by expression in Sp2/0 cells using Hybridomaserum-free medium supplemented with 2 mM L-glutamine (Invitrogen,Carlsbad, Calif.). Bulk mAb was clarified using a 5.0 μm Depth filter(Sartorius, Goettingen, Germany) followed by passage over a 0.2 μmsterilizing grade filter (Sartorius). The mAb was purified by passagefirst over an affinity column (MabSelect Protein A column, Amersham,Piscataway, N.J.) and then by ion exchange chromatography (SP SepharoseCation Exchange resin, Amersham). PRO140 was nanofiltered using aViresolve™ 10 Opticap NFP capsule (Millipore, Billerica, Mass.) followedby a 0.2 μm filter and concentrated/diafiltered over disposable TFFcartridges (Millipore). The mAb was then polished over a hydroxyapatitecolumn (Bio-Rad, Hercules, Calif.), concentrated to 10 mg/ml inphosphate-buffered saline and stored at −70° C. or colder prior to use.

SCH-D (Schering Plough; Tagat et al., 2004), TAK-779 (TakedaPharmaceuticals; Shiraishi et al., 2000), UK427,857 (Pfizer; Wood andArmour, 2005), and BMS378806 (Bristol-Myers Squibb; Lin et al., 2003)were prepared by commercial sources.

SCH-D has the following structure:

-   -   SCH-D (also designated SCH-417690):        1-[(4,6-dimethyl-5-pyrimidinyl)carbonyl]-4-[4-[2-methoxy-1(R)-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ethyl-3(S)-methyl-1-piperazinyl]-4-methylpiperidine        (Schering-Plough)

SCH-D was synthesized according to the procedure described in Tagat etal. (2004) and set forth in FIG. 1.

TAK-779 has the following structure:

TAK-779 was synthesized according to the procedure described inShiraishi et al. (2000) and set forth in FIG. 2.

TAK-652 has the following structure:

UK-427,857 has the following structure:

UK-427,857 was synthesized according to the procedure described in PCTInternational Publication No. WO 01/90106 and set forth in FIG. 3.

BMS378806 has the following structure:

-   -   BMS378806:        (R)—N-(benzoyl)-3-methyl-N′-[(4-methoxy-7-azaindol-3-yl)-oxoacetyl]-piperazine        (Bristol-Myers Squibb)

It was synthesized according to the procedure described in U.S. Pat. No.6,476,034 (compound 17a).

Nevirapine (Boehringer Ingelheim; Merluzzi et al., 1990) and atazanavir(Bristol-Myers Squibb; Robinson et al., 2000) were purchased fromcommercial sources. PRO542 was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cellsand purified as described previously (Allaway et al., 1995). T-20(Fuzeon®) was synthesized by solid-phase fluoroenylmethoxycarbonylchemistry, was purified by reverse-phase chromatography and was analyzedfor purity and size by HPLC and mass spectroscopy as describedpreviously (Nagashima et al., 2001). AZT was purchased from SigmaChemicals (St. Louis, Mo). RANTES was purchased from R&D Systems(Minneapolis, Minn.). The anti-CCR5 mAb 2D7 was purchased fromPharmingen (San Diego, Calif.), and the anti-CD4 mAb Leu-3A waspurchased from Becton Dickinson (Franklin Lakes, N.J.).

For testing, small molecule compounds were solubilized indimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) to 10 mM and then diluted in DMSO to 200× thefinal concentration to be utilized in the antiviral assay. Serialdilutions of small molecules were conducted in DMSO. Subsequentdilutions were conducted in medium to achieve a final DMSO concentrationin the assay of 0.5%. Peptides and mAbs were diluted in PBS in theabsence of DMSO. Typically, inhibitor concentrations in the RET assayincluded eleven 3-fold dilutions ranging from 200 nM to 3.0 μM.

Cell Preparation

HeLa cells were engineered to express HIV-1 gp120/gp41 from themacrophage-tropic primary isolate JRFL as described (HeLa-Env_(JRFL);Litwin et al., 1996). Briefly, the HIV-1_(LAI) Env gene was excised fromthe plasmid pMA243 (Dragic et al., 1992) and the HIV-1_(JRFL) Env genewas inserted. The HIV-1_(JRFL) Env gene was amplified from the plasmidpUCFL112-1 (Koyanagi et al., 1987). The resulting plasmid, designatedJR-FL-pMA243, was sequenced by standard methods and transfected intoHeLa cells using lipofectin (Gibco BRL/Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.).HeLa-Env_(JRFL) transfectants were selected in methotrexate (Sigma, St.Louis, Mo.) and cloned twice by limiting dilution. The transduced humanT cell leukemia line CEM NKR-CCR5 cells were obtained from the NIH AIDSResearch and Reference Program (Cat. No. 458).

RET Assay

The HIV-1 RET assay has been described in detail previously (Litwin etal., 1996). Briefly, fluorescein octadecyl ester (F18; Molecular Probes,Eugene, Oreg.; 5 mg/ml in ethanol), was diluted 1:800 in DMEM labelingmedium (DMEM; Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.) with 10% fetal bovine serum(FBS; HyClone, Logan, Utah) and adjusted to an A₅₀₆ of 0.34±10%.Octadecyl rhodamine B chloride (R18; Molecular Probes; 10 mg/ml inethanol) was diluted 1:2050 in labeling medium and adjusted to an A₅₆₅of 0.52±10%. Both dyes were further diluted 2-fold by addition to cellsin T75-cm² flasks. HeLa-Env_(JRFL) and CEM NKR-CCR5 cells were incubatedovernight in F18- and R18-containing culture medium, respectively. Thefollowing day, medium from HeLa-Env_(JRFL) cells was removed and 10 mlof 0.5 mM EDTA was added and incubated at 37° C. for 5 min. EDTA wasremoved and the flask was returned to the incubator for another 5 minfollowed by striking of the flask to dislodge cells. Ten ml of PBS− with15% FBS were added to the flask and the contents were transferred to a50-ml conical centrifuge tube. Suspension CEM NKR-CCR5 cells were addeddirectly to a separate 50-ml conical centrifuge tube. Both cell lineswere centrifuged at 300×g for 5 min. The supernatant was discarded andcells were resuspended in 10 ml of PBS−/15% FBS. The centrifugation/washstep was repeated twice, after which the cells were counted andconcentrations adjusted to 1.5×10⁶ cells/ml. Ten μl of each cell type(15,000 cells) were seeded into wells of a 384-well plate. Inhibitorcompounds were added immediately thereafter to bring the final wellvolume to 40 μl, and the plates were incubated for 4 h at 37° C.Compounds were tested individually and in combination at a fixed molarratio or mass ratio over a range of serial dilutions. The plates werethen read on a fluorescence plate reader (Victor², Perkin Elmer, Boston,Mass.) using the excitation/emission filter combinations shown in Table6.

TABLE 6 Excitation/emission filter combinations for RET assay Scan No.Excitation wavelength Emission wavelength 1 450 nm/50 nm 530 nm/25 nm 2530 nm/25 nm 590 nm/35 nm 3 450 nm/50 nm 590 nm/35 nm

The “% RET” was calculated according to the following formula aftersubtraction of background (blank) readings:

%RET=100×[(A ₃−(A ₁ ×F _(spill))−(A ₂ ×R _(spill)))/A ₂]

Where:

-   -   F_(spill)=HeLa cells alone, Scan 3/Scan 1;    -   R=_(spill)=CEM cells alone, Scan 3/Scan 2;    -   A₁=Scan 1 value for HeLa and CEM cells in combination;    -   A₂=Scan 2 value for HeLa and CEM cells in combination; and    -   A₃=Scan 3 value for HeLa and CEM cells in combination.

The “% Inhibition” was calculated according to the following formula:

%Inhibition=100×[(Max%RET−%RET for sample well)/(Max%RET−Min%RET)]

Where:

-   -   Max % RET=average of % RET values for HeLa and CEM cell        combination without added inhibitor; and    -   Min % RET=average of % RET values for HeLa and CEM cell        combination in presence of 500 ng/ml of Leu-3a mAb (an antibody        that targets CD4 and fully blocks fusion in the RET assay at        this concentration).

Fifty percent inhibition (IC₅₀) values were determined by fitting theinhibition data with a non-linear, four-parameter, variable slopeequation (GraphPad Prism, ver. 4.02; GraphPad Software, San Diego, A).Upper and lower inhibition values were constrained to 100% and 0%,respectively for curve fitting.

Synergy Determinations

Cooperative inhibition effects of drug combinations were determined bythe method of Chou and Talalay (1984). IC₅₀ values were generated forall combinations as described above. Combination Index (CI) and DoseReduction (DR) values were calculated according to the followingformulas:

${CI} = {\lbrack \frac{{IC}_{50}{Dcomb}\; 1}{{IC}_{50}{Dsolo}\; 1} \rbrack + \lbrack \frac{{IC}_{50}{Dcomb}\; 2}{{IC}_{50}{Dsolo}\; 2} \rbrack + {\alpha \lbrack \frac{( {{IC}_{50}{Dcomb}\; 1} )( {{IC}_{50}{Dcomb}\; 2} )}{( {{IC}_{50}{Dsolo}\; 1} )( {{IC}_{50}{Dsolo}\; 2} )} \rbrack}}$DR(for compound 1)=(IC ₅₀ Dsolo1/IC ₅₀ Dcomb1)

DR(for compound 2)=(IC ₅₀ Dsolo2/IC ₅₀ Dcomb2)

Where:

-   -   “IC₅₀ Dcomb1”=IC₅₀ of drug 1 in combination with drug 2;    -   “IC₅₀ Dsolo1”=IC₅₀ of drug 1 when tested alone;    -   “IC₅₀ Dcomb2”=IC₅₀ of drug 2 in combination with drug 1;    -   “IC₅₀ Dsolo2”=IC₅₀ of drug 2 when tested alone;    -   α=0 if the effects of the two drugs are mutually exclusive; and    -   α=1 if the effects of the two drugs are mutually nonexclusive

Combinations with CI<1 are determined to be synergistic, whereascombinations with CI>1 are determined to be antagonistic. Additivity isreflected in combinations for which CI=1.

Ninety five percent Confidence Intervals were calculated in MicrosoftExcel using the formula:

=Confidence(alpha,stdev,n)

Where:

-   -   alpha=0.05 (95% confidence);    -   stdev=standard deviation of dataset mean; and    -   n=number of replicates.

Results Preparation of Small-Molecule Fusion Inhibitors

SCH-D, TAK-779, UK-427,857, and BMS378806 were prepared by commercialsources. The desired quantities and HPLC purity of the compounds wererealized. Purity of the compounds was supported by results obtained fromelemental analysis, and the identities of the products were confirmed byproton NMR (proton and carbon-13) and/or mass spectrum data.

Synergistic Interactions Revealed by RET Assay

Synergy experiments were conducted using the cell-cell RET fusion assayto assess initially the potential for cooperative interactions betweenPRO140 and small-molecule and peptide-based inhibitors of CCR5, CD4,HIV-1 gp120 and HIV-1 gp41. The experiments were then extended to theCCR5-specific murine monoclonal antibody, 2D7 (Wu et al., 1997).Experiments measuring inhibition of HIV-1 Env-mediated fusion were firstconducted using combinations of PRO140 with, respectively, PRO140itself, 3 small-molecule CCR5 antagonists (SCH-D, TAK-779, UK427857),the natural peptide ligand of CCR5 (RANTES), and an anti-CCR5 mAb (2D7),a peptide-based inhibitor of gp41 (T-20), a protein-based inhibitor ofgp120 (PRO542), a small-molecule inhibitor of gp120 (BMS378806), and ananti-CD4 mAb (Leu3A). Mass ratios of PRO 140 to other entry inhibitorsranged from 0.75 to 364. The results are shown in Table 7.

TABLE 7 Combination Index and Dose Reduction Values for inhibition ofHIV-1 Env-mediated fusion with combinations of PRO 140 and entryinhibitors Mean Dose Mean Dose PRO 140 in Reduction Reduction (Cpdcombination No. of Cpd mass Inhibitor Mean CI^(c) (PRO 140) incombination) with:^(a) tests ratios^(b) target Cell-cell fusion assayPRO 140 9 1 CCR5 0.97 ± 0.08 2.07 ± 0.18 2.07 ± 0.18 TAK-779 8 282 CCR50.36 ± 0.10 4.10 ± 2.03 15.86 ± 7.10  SCH-D 9 279 CCR5 0.51 ± 0.05 4.21± 0.96 3.90 ± 0.71 UK-427, 857 3 292 CCR5 0.59 ± 0.04 4.16 ± 0.41 2.98 ±0.65 RANTES 4 19 CCR5 0.59 ± 0.08 4.13 ± 0.99 3.24 ± 1.06 2D7 2 1 CCR50.93 ± 0.04 1.87 ± 0.07 2.54 ± 0.13 T-20 7 33 gp41 0.84 ± 0.16 1.77 ±0.40 7.47 ± 3.34 PRO 542 6 0.75 gp120 0.96 ± 0.17 1.59 ± 0.21 5.54 ±1.49 BMS-378806 7 364 gp120 1.21 ± 0.21 1.64 ± 0.30 2.85 ± 0.76^(a)Compounds were tested at a 1:1 molar ratio. ^(b)Mass of PRO 140/massof other HIV-1 entry inhibitor tested in combination. Molecular weightsof inhibitors are: PRO 140 ≈ 150,000 g/mole; SCH-D = 538 g/mole; TAK-779= 531 g/mole (hydrochloride salt); UK-427,857 = 514 g/mole; RANTES ≈7,800 g/mole; 2D7 ≈ 150,000 g/mole; T-20 = 4,492 g/mole; PRO 542 ≈200,000 g/mole; BMS-378806 = 412 g/mole. ^(c)Combination Index at IC₅₀value. The mutually exclusive CI formula (α = 0) was utilized for PRO140 in combination with molecules that bind CCR5, and the mutuallynon-exclusive formula (α = 1) was utilized for PRO 140 in combinationwith molecules that bind other targets (Chou and Rideout, 1991).

Two small-molecule CCR5 antagonists, SCH-D and TAK-779, were assayed incombination. PRO 542, a recombinant antibody-like fusion protein inwhich the heavy- and light-chain variable domains of human IgG2 havebeen replaced with the D1D2 domains of human CD4, was also tested incombination with the anti-CD4 mAb, Leu-3A. The results of these assaysare shown in Table 8.

TABLE 8 Other drug combinations tested in the RET assay forcooperativity Molar ratios Mean CI ± Mean DR Mean DR Drug 1 Drug 2 (Drug1 to 2) N stdev^(a) (Drug 1) (Drug 2) SCH-D TAK-779 1:1 4^(b) 1.12 ±0.32 1.48 ± 0.96 4.31 ± 1.82 PRO 542 Leu-3A 22.9:1   2 16.9 ± 0.3  0.7 ±0   0.16 ± 0   ^(a)CI values were calculated using the mutuallyexclusive formula for SCH-D vs. TAK-779 (i.e., where α = 0) and themutually non-exclusive formula for PRO 542 vs. Leu-3A (i.e., where α =1; see methods). ^(b)One aberrant datapoint was culled from thecalculation of Mean CI and Mean DRs.

The effect of varying the relative amounts of compounds in thecombinations on the level of cooperativity was also measured. Molarratios of 5:1 and 1:5 PRO140 were used. The results are tabulated inTable 9, and the mean CI values with 95% confidence intervals areplotted in FIG. 4 for the 1:1 molar ratio data. In addition to PRO140,the inhibitory activity of mAb 2D7, a CCR5-specific murine antibody (Wuet al., 1997) was also tested in combination with the small-moleculeCCR5 antagonists and with RANTES using the fluorescent RET assay. Theresults are shown in Table 10.

TABLE 9 Combination Index and Dose Reduction Values for inhibition ofHIV-1 Env-mediated fusion with combinations of PRO 140 and entryinhibitors Mean Mean Dose PRO 140 in Combination Reduction Mean DoseReduction combination Cpd Mass Index^(c) (PRO 140) (Cpd. in combination)with: Ratio^(a) Ratios^(b) Cell-cell fusion assay PRO 140 5:1 5 1.15 ±0.09 1.05 ± 0.08 5.26 ± 0.41 PRO 140 1:5 0.2 1.09 ± 0.08 5.54 ± 0.381.10 ± 0.08 TAK-779 5:1 1410 0.57 ± 0.07 1.89 ± 0.14 33.59 ± 18.85TAK-779 1:5 56.4 0.52 ± 0.20 5.58 ± 0.52 3.78 ± 1.95 SCH-D 5:1 1395 0.66± 0.10 1.92 ± 0.40 8.44 ± 1.27 SCH-D 1:5 55.8 0.69 ± 0.05 9.95 ± 2.031.73 ± 0.19 UK-427, 857 5:1 1460 0.66 ± 0.11 2.00 ± 0.35 7.25 ± 2.19UK-427, 857 1:5 58.4 0.73 ± 0.05 11.31 ± 2.14  1.58 ± 0.17 RANTES 5:1 950.84 ± 0.14 1.63 ± 0.43 5.39 ± 1.13 RANTES 1:5 3.8 0.66 ± 0.06 13.64 ±4.75  1.75 ± 0.28 T-20 5:1 165 1.10 ± 0.12 0.98 ± 0.11 31.85 ± 10.19T-20 1:5 6.6 0.76 ± 0.27 2.93 ± 0.68 3.85 ± 1.50 PRO 542 5:1 3.75 1.13 ±0.10 1.01 ± 0.07 15.73 ± 4.15  PRO 542 1:5 0.15 1.18 ± 0.17 2.83 ± 0.501.71 ± 0.29 BMS-378806 5:1 1820 1.12 ± 0.10 1.14 ± 0.06 8.88 ± 4.16BMS-378806 1:5 72.8 1.55 ± 0.24 3.64 ± 0.73 1.07 ± 0.31 ^(a)Molar ratioof PRO 140 to other entry inhibitor tested in combination (n = 3 for allexperimental results) ^(b)Mass of PRO 140/mass of other HIV-1 entryinhibitor tested in combination. Molecular weights of inhibitors are:PRO 140 ≈ 150,000 g/mole; SCH-D = 538 g/mole; TAK-779 = 531 g/mole(hydrochloride salt); UK-427,857 = 514 g/mole; RANTES ≈ 7,800 g/mole;T-20 = 4,492 g/mole; PRO 542 ≈ 200,000 g/mole; BMS-378806 = 412 g/mole.^(c)Combination Index at IC₅₀ value. The mutually exclusive CI formula(α = 0) was utilized for PRO 140 in combination with molecules that bindCCR5, and the mutually non-exclusive formula (α = 1) was utilized forPRO 140 in combination with molecules that bind other targets (Chou andRideout, 1991).

TABLE 10 Combination Index and Dose Reduction Values for inhibition ofHIV-1 Env-mediated fusion with combinations of 2D7 and entry inhibitorsMean Mean Dose Mean Dose 2D7 in Combination Reduction Reduction (Cpdcombination Cpd Mass Inhibitor Index^(b) (2D7) in combination) with:^(a)Ratios^(c) target Cell-cell fusion assay TAK-779 282 CCR5 0.15 ± 0.0317.20 ± 3.23  11.95 ± 4.94  SCH-D 279 CCR5 0.57 ± 0.10 3.25 ± 0.56 4.04± 0.78 UK427857 292 CCR5 0.58 ± 0.03 2.45 ± 0.12 5.73 ± 0.54 RANTES 19CCR5 0.62 ± 0.04 1.94 ± 0.08 10.18 ± 1.86  PRO 140 1 CCR5 0.93 ± 0.042.54 ± 0.13 1.87 ± 0.07 ^(a)Compounds were tested at a 1:1 molar ratio(all data are n = 3 except for 2D7 and PRO 140, where n = 2)^(b)Combination Index at IC₅₀ value. The mutually exclusive CI formula(α = 0) was utilized for 2D7 in combination with molecules that bindCCR5 (Chou and Rideout, 1991). ^(c)Mass of 2D7/mass of other HIV-1 entryinhibitor tested in combination. Molecular weights of inhibitors are:2D7 ≈ 150,000 g/mole; SCH-D = 538 g/mole; TAK-779 = 531 g/mole(hydrochloride salt); UK-427,857 = 514 g/mole; RANTES ≈ 7,800 g/mole.

Example 2 Combination Testing of PRO140 with Small Molecule, Peptide andProtein Inhibitors, and HIV-1 in the HIV-1 Pseudovirus Particle(HIV-1pp) Assay Materials and Methods Preparation of HIV-1Pseudoparticles

HIV-1 pseudoparticles (HIV-1pp) are generated in 293T cells by transientcoexpression of an HIV-1-based NL4/3luc+env− plasmid and a constructencoding HIV-1_(JRFL) Env. The NL4/3luc+env− plasmid was obtained fromthe NIH AIDS Research and Reference Reagent Program (Cat. No. 3418), andthe HIV-1_(JRFL) Env was inserted into the pcDNA3.1 vector (Invitrogen).Briefly, 293T cells are calcium phosphate transfected with a 1:1 ratioof NL4/3luc+env− reporter vector and Env expression vector in Hepesbuffer (Profection Mammalian Transfection Kit, Promega). After 16 h thetransfection medium is aspirated and fresh cell culture medium (DMEMwith 10% FBS, glutamine and antibiotics) is added and the incubation iscontinued at 37° C. for an additional 24-32 h. Cell culture supernatantsare collected 48 h post-transfection and centrifuged at 1,400 rpm for 10min to pellet cell debris. The viral supernatant is brought to a finalconcentration of 5% sucrose and stored aliquoted at −80° C.

Cells

U87-CD4-CCR5 cells were obtained from the NIH AIDS Research andReference Program (Cat. No. 4035). These cells are maintained in culturemedium (DMEM with 10% FBS, antibiotics and glutamine) containing 0.3mg/ml G418 and 0.5 mg/ml puromycin. Cells are grown in T175-cm² flasksat 37° C. and diluted 1:5 every 3-4 days. For assay plate preparation,cells are trypsinized and seeded into wells of 96-well tissue-culturetreated flat bottom opaque polystyrene plates (Perkin Elmer, Boston,Mass.) at a density of 3×10³ cells/well. Plates are incubated for nomore than 4 h at 37° C. in a humidified 5% CO₂ incubator prior to theiruse in the HIV-1pp susceptibility assay.

Compound Preparation

Fifty μl of diluted compound at 4× the desired final concentration areadded per well. For compounds solubilized in DMSO, the 4× stock willcontain 2% DMSO (such that the final DMSO concentration in the assay isalways 0.5% for small molecules). Control wells receiving no compoundare included on each plate. In addition, an AZT inhibition control isincluded in each assay. Compounds are tested individually and at a fixedmass or molar ratio over a broad range of concentrations.

Virus Addition

A vial of frozen, aliquoted HIV-1pp is thawed in a 37° C. waterbath andthen placed on wet ice. Virus is diluted in cold cell culture medium asnecessary to achieve the desired final virus concentration in theHIV-1pp assay (about 10,000 relative light units (rlu) per well). 50 μLof diluted virus are added per well, bringing the final well volume to200 μl. A no-virus control (minimum or background luminescence) and ano-compound control (maximum luminescence) are included on each plate.The plates are incubated for 72 h at 37° C. in a humidified 5% CO₂incubator followed by processing for luciferase signal (see below).

Plate Processing for Luciferase Assay

Assay medium is aspirated and 200 μl of PBS are added to each well. ThePBS is aspirated and 50 μl of 1× Cell Lysis Reagent (Promega—Cat. No.E1531) are added to each well. Assay plates are then frozen for at least2 h at −80° C. followed by thawing at room temperature and vigorousmixing with an electronic pipettor. 25 μl from each well are transferredto an opaque 96-well plate (Costar #3922). Four replicates are pooledinto the same well on the opaque plate. 100 μl of freshly thawed andreconstituted luciferase substrate (Luciferase Assay System,Promega—Cat. No. E1501) are added to each well of the plate with theelectronic pipettor, and luminescence is detected immediately on a DynexMLX plate reader set to medium gain.

Data Analysis

Neutralization activity is displayed by plotting the percent inhibitionof luciferase activity (after background rlu values are subtracted fromall datapoints) versus log₁₀ drug concentration. The percent inhibitionis derived as follows: [1-(luciferase activity in the presence ofdrug/luciferase activity in the absence of drug)]×100. IC₅₀ values aredetermined by fitting the inhibition data with a non-linear,four-parameter, variable slope equation (GraphPad Prism, ver. 4.02;GraphPad Software, San Diego, Calif.). Upper and lower inhibition valuesare constrained to 100% and 0%, respectively for curve fitting.

Synergy Determination

Cooperative interactions between PRO140 and small-molecule andpeptide-based inhibitors of CCR5, CD4, HIV-1 gp120, HIV-1 gp41 and HIV-1reverse transcriptase (see Tables 4 and for listing of HIV-1 inhibitorsapproved for clinical use) are determined as described in Example 1.Cooperative inhibition effects of drug combinations are determined bythe method of Chou and Talalay (1984). IC₅₀ values are generated for allcombinations as described above. Combination Index (CI) and DoseReduction (DR) values are calculated according to the followingformulas:

${CI} = {\lbrack \frac{{IC}_{50}{Dcomb}\; 1}{{IC}_{50}{Dsolo}\; 1} \rbrack + \lbrack \frac{{IC}_{50}{Dcomb}\; 2}{{IC}_{50}{Dsolo}\; 2} \rbrack + {\alpha \lbrack \frac{( {{IC}_{50}{Dcomb}\; 1} )( {{IC}_{50}{Dcomb}\; 2} )}{( {{IC}_{50}{Dsolo}\; 1} )( {{IC}_{50}{Dsolo}\; 2} )} \rbrack}}$DR(for compound 1)=(IC ₅₀ Dsolo1/IC ₅₀ Dcomb1)

DR(for compound 2)=(IC ₅₀ Dsolo2/IC ₅₀ Dcomb2)

Where:

-   -   “IC₅₀ Dcomb1”=IC₅₀ of drug 1 in combination with drug 2;    -   “IC₅₀ Dsolo1”=IC₅₀ of drug 1 when tested alone;    -   “IC₅₀ Dcomb2”=IC₅₀ of drug 2 in combination with drug 1;    -   “IC₅₀ Dsolo2”=IC₅₀ of drug 2 when tested alone;    -   α=0 if the effects of the two drugs are mutually exclusive; and    -   α=1 if the effects of the two drugs are mutually nonexclusive.

Combinations with CI<1 are determined to be synergistic, whereascombinations with CI>1 are determined to be antagonistic. Additivity isreflected in combinations for which CI=1.

Example 3 Combination Testing of PRO140 with Small Molecule, Peptide andProtein Inhibitors in the HIV-1 Authentic Virus Replication AssayMaterials and Methods Preparation of PBMCs

Replication of authentic HIV-1 is measured in activated peripheral bloodmononuclear cells (PBMCs) using the monocyte/macrophage-tropic HIV-1clone, JRFL (HIV-1_(JRFL)), for these studies.

PBMCs are isolated from 4 separate donors (Leukopacks) by centrifugationon a Ficoll gradient. CD8 cells are depleted using RosetteSep CD8Depletion Cocktail (#15663, StemCell Research, Vancouver, BC). Cells arediluted to 4×10⁶/ml and added in equal parts to three T175-cm² flasksand then stimulated by addition of one of the following media: IL-2Medium [RPMI 1640 (#10-040-CV, Cellgro, Herndon, Va.), 10% FBS(#35-0,0-CV), 2 mM L-Glutamine (#25-005-CI), 100 U/ml IL-2 (Sigma, St.Louis, Mo.)]; PHA 5 Medium: [IL-2 Medium with 5 ug/ml PhytohemagglutininPHA-P (PHA) (#L8754, Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.), filtered]; or PHA 0.5Medium: [IL-2 Medium with 0.5 ug/ml PHA, filtered]. Each flask receivesa total of 50-150 ml of medium. Flasks are incubated for 3 days at 37°C. followed by pooling of the contents prior to use in the infectionassay.

Virus Titration

Serial dilutions of virus are tested in quadruplicate on activated PBMCs(1.4×10⁵ PBMC/well). Titration Medium [IL-2 Medium with 100 IU/milpenicillin/streptomycin (#30-002-CI, Cellgro)] is utilized for virustitrations. Fifty μl of diluted virus is added to 100 μl of PBMCs inflat bottom, tissue-culture treated 96-well plates (VWR# 29442-054,Corning, Corning, N.Y.) and the plates are incubated at 37° C. in ahumidified, 5% CO₂ incubator. After 7 days, 50 μl are removed from eachwell and tested for virus levels by p24 antigen ELISA (Perkin Elmer,Boston, Mass.). Virus titer is determined by the method of Reed andMuench (Table 11).

Neutralization Assay

Stimulated PBMCs are seeded into wells of 96-well flat bottom plates ata density of 1.4×10⁵ cells/well. Virus is diluted to 2,000 TCID₅₀/ml andmixed with serial 0.5 log₁₀ dilutions of compound for 1 h at 37° C.prior to addition to the cell plates. The final amount of virus addedper well is 100 TCID₅₀. The final DMSO concentration in the assay isalways 0.5% whenever small molecule inhibitors are being tested. Platesare incubated at 37° C. for 5 days, at which time an aliquot ofsupernatant is removed for p24 antigen ELISA. If control wells (viruswithout inhibitor) exhibit low p24 antigen levels then the plates arebrought back to full volume with Titration medium and incubated for anadditional 24 h.

TABLE 11 Reed and Muench formula for calculating virus titer^(a) No. ofTCID₅₀/ml pos. wells (10^(x)) 1 0.74 2 0.83 3 0.92 4 1.00 5 1.09 6 1.177 1.26 8 1.35 9 1.44 10 1.52 11 1.61 12 1.70 13 1.79 14 1.87 15 1.96 162.05 17 2.14 18 2.22 19 2.31 20 2.40 21 2.49 22 2.57 23 2.66 24 2.75 252.83 26 2.92 27 3.01 28 3.10 29 3.18 30 3.27 31 3.36 32 3.45 33 3.53 343.62 35 3.71 36 3.80 37 3.88 38 3.97 39 4.06 40 4.15 41 4.23 42 4.32 434.41 44 4.49 45 4.58 46 4.67 47 4.76 48 4.84 49 4.93 50 5.02 51 5.11 525.19 53 5.28 54 5.37 55 5.46 56 5.54 57 5.63 58 5.72 59 5.81 60 5.89 615.98 62 6.07 63 6.15 64 6.24 65 6.33 66 6.42 67 6.50 68 6.59 69 6.68 706.77 71 6.85 72 6.94 73 7.03 74 7.12 75 7.20 76 7.29 77 7.38 78 7.47 797.55 80 7.64 ^(a)To calculate virus titer, first multiply the totalnumber of positive wells by 2 (the chart was designed to be used withreplicates of 8), then look up the corresponding TCID₅₀/mL titer and add0.7 (the formula requires the addition of a log dilution factor).

Data Analysis

Neutralization activity is displayed by plotting the percent inhibitionof p24 antigen production (after background values are subtracted fromall datapoints) versus log₁₀ drug concentration. The percent inhibitionis derived as follows [1−(p24 levels in the presence of drug/p24 levelsin the absence of drug)]×100. IC₅₀ values are determined by fitting theinhibition data with a non-linear, four-parameter, variable slopeequation (GraphPad Prism, ver. 4.02; GraphPad Software, San Diego,Calif.). Upper and lower inhibition values are constrained to 100% and0%, respectively for curve fitting.

Synergy Determinations

Cooperative interactions between PRO140 and small-molecule andpeptide-based inhibitors of CCR5, CD4, HIV-1 gp120, HIV-1 gp41, HIV-1reverse transcriptase and HIV-1 protease (Table 8) are determined asdescribed for Example 1. Cooperative inhibition effects of drugcombinations are determined by the method of Chou and Talalay (1984).IC₅₀ values are generated for all combinations as described above.Combination Index (CI) and Dose Reduction (DR) values are calculatedaccording to the following formulas:

${CI} = {\lbrack \frac{{IC}_{50}{Dcomb}\; 1}{{IC}_{50}{Dsolo}\; 1} \rbrack + \lbrack \frac{{IC}_{50}{Dcomb}\; 2}{{IC}_{50}{Dsolo}\; 2} \rbrack + {\alpha \lbrack \frac{( {{IC}_{50}{Dcomb}\; 1} )( {{IC}_{50}{Dcomb}\; 2} )}{( {{IC}_{50}{Dsolo}\; 1} )( {{IC}_{50}{Dsolo}\; 2} )} \rbrack}}$DR(for compound 1)=(IC ₅₀ Dsolo1/IC ₅₀ Dcomb1)

DR(for compound 2)=(IC ₅₀ Dsolo2/IC ₅₀ Dcomb2)

Where:

-   -   “IC₅₀ Dcomb1”=IC₅₀ of drug 1 in combination with drug 2;    -   “IC₅₀ Dsolo1”=IC₅₀ of drug 1 when tested alone;    -   “IC₅₀ Dcomb2”=IC₅₀ of drug 2 in combination with drug 1;    -   “IC₅₀ Dsolo2”=IC₅₀ of drug 2 when tested alone;    -   α=0 if the effects of the two drugs are mutually exclusive; and    -   α=1 if the effects of the two drugs are mutually nonexclusive.

Combinations with CI<1 are determined to be synergistic, whereascombinations with CI>1 are determined to be antagonistic. Additivity isreflected in combinations for which CI=1.

Discussion

PRO140 is a CCR5-specific mAb being developed for HIV-1 therapy. It is ahumanized IgG4,κ version (see PCT International Publication No. WO03/072766, published Sep. 4, 2003) of the murine antibody, PA14 (Olsonet al., 1999; PCT International Publication No. WO 00/35409, publishedJun. 20, 2000), which binds to the CCR5 receptor on the surface of acell and inhibits CCR5-mediated fusion of HIV-1 to the cell. The studiesdescribed herein concern the testing of the antiviral activity of PRO140in combination with small-molecule and peptide inhibitors of HIV-1infection. Data generated from this testing were analyzed for potentialcooperative effects on inhibition of HIV-1 infection.

In one series of experiments, inhibition of HIV-1 infection was assayedusing a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (RET) assay, whichmeasures the fusion of effector cells (HeLa-Env_(JRFL)) expressingrecombinant HIV-1 strain JRFL envelope glycoproteins (Env) to targetcells (CEM NKR-CCR5) expressing CD4 and CCR5 (Litwin et al., 1996). Inthis assay, effector cells are labeled with the F18 dye and target cellswith the R18 dye. HIV-1 Env-mediated fusion of effector and target cellsresults in the placement of these two dyes within close proximity in thecell membrane. When F18 is excited at its optimum wavelength (450 nm),it emits light at a wavelength (530 nm) that will excite R18 when thetwo dyes are co-localized in the same membrane, resulting inR18-specific emission at 590 nm. Drug susceptibility is measured byadding serial concentrations of drugs to target cells prior to additionof effector cells. Inhibition of HIV-1 Env-mediated fusion is reflectedin a reduction in fluorescence emission due to R18 in a dose-dependentmanner, providing a quantitative measure of drug activity.

Initial experiments measuring inhibition of. HIV-1 Env-mediated fusionwere conducted in order to demonstrate the robustness of the assaysystem for quantifying cooperative interactions. In these experiments,PRO140 was run in combination with itself, a combination that shouldresult in combination index (CI) values indicative of additiveinteractions. Using the methodology of Chou and Talalay (1984), CIvalues of <1.0, =1.0 and >1.0 are taken to indicate synergistic,additive and antagonistic interactions, respectively. Indeed, PRO140 runin combination with itself returned a CI value of 0.97±0.08 (n=9; Table7), indicating that the assay system accurately represented thisinteraction.

Synergy experiments were then conducted between PRO140 and 3small-molecule (SCH-D, TAK-779, UK427857), one peptide (RANTES) and onemAb (2D7) antagonist of CCR5. In addition, cooperative interactions weremeasured between PRO140 and T-20 (peptide-based inhibitor of gp41),PRO542 (protein-based inhibitor of gp120), BMS378806 (small moleculeinhibitor of gp120) and Leu-3A (anti-CD4 mAb).

The results (see Table 7) revealed potent synergy between PRO140 and all3 small-molecule CCR5 antagonists as well as RANTES. CI values betweenPRO140 and these CCR5 antagonists ranged from 0.36±0.10 to 0.59±0.08.Dose reduction values indicated that the compound in combination exertedabout a 4-fold effect on PRO140 activity, whereas the effect of PRO140on the compound in combination ranged from about 3- to about 16-fold(Table 7). Modest synergy to additivity was observed between PRO140 andT-20, PRO542, BMS-378806 and 2D7 (CI=0.84±0.16, 0.96±0.17, 1.21±0.21,and 0.93±0.04, respectively).

Small molecule antagonists of CCR5 run in combination (SCH-D andTAK-779) returned a mean CI value of 1.12±0.32, indicating a slightlyadditive interaction (Table 8). Conversely, the combination of therecombinant antibody-like fusion protein PRO542 with the anti-CD4 mAb,Leu-3A, resulted in a mean CI value of 16.9±0.3, indicating potentantagonism between these two HIV-1 inhibitors (Table 8).

Varying the molar ratios of compounds demonstrated similar patterns ofcooperativity. At both 5:1 and 1:5 molar ratios of PRO140 to SCH-D,TAK-779, UK-427,857 and RANTES, potent synergistic inhibition ofHIV-1-Env-mediated entry was observed (Table 9). This represents a broadrange of inhibitor mass ratios, from a low of 0.15 to a high of 1,820.CI values between PRO140 and CCR5 antagonists ranged from 0.52±0.20 to0.84±0.14. More modest synergy to additivity was observed forcombinations of PRO140 with T-20, PRO542 or BMS-378806. The results ofthese investigations identify clearly the potent synergistic activitiesof PRO140 with CCR5 antagonists, as well as more modest synergy betweenPRO140 and T-20 (see FIG. 4).

The HIV-1 inhibitory activity of the CCR5-specific murine mAb, 2D7, incombination with the small-molecule CCR5 antagonists and with RANTES,was also tested using the fluorescent RET assay. 2D7 was found to actsynergistically with these CCR5 antagonists and with RANTES (Table 10).CI values between 2D7 and these CCR5 antagonists ranged from 0.15±0.03to 0.62±0.04. Dose reduction values indicated that the compound incombination exerted about a 2- to 3-fold effect on 2D7 activity, exceptfor TAK-779 which had an approximately 17-fold effect on 2D7 activity.The effect of 2D7 on the compound in combination ranged from about 2- toabout 12-fold (Table 10). As observed previously, PRO140 and 2D7 incombination were essentially additive or modestly synergistic(CI=0.93±0.04).

These results indicate that synergistic inhibition of HIV-1 Env-mediatedcell-cell fusion is observed between multiple mAbs and small moleculesthat bind to CCR5. This property may be broadly applicable to mabs thattarget CCR5, including, for example, the mAb CCR5 mAb004 that has beenshown to bind to and antagonize CCR5 and block HIV-1 entry in acell-cell fusion assay (Roschke et al., 2004). A large and growingnumber of small molecules have been identified as CCR5 antagonists (seeTable 12). Certain of these small molecule CCR5 antagonists may alsoproduce synergistic inhibition of HIV-1 Env-mediated fusion incombination with PRO140 and other anti-CCR5 mAbs.

An alternative approach for examining synergistic interactions utilizesa virus-cell fusion assay as described previously (Nagashima et al.,2001; Trkola et al., 1998). In this assay an HIV genomic vector(pNLluc⁺Env⁻) containing a luciferase reporter gene is pseudotyped withEnv from HIV-1_(JRFL). Recombinant pseudotyped virus particles are usedto infect U87 cells expressing CD4 and CCR5 (U87-CD4-CCR5). Productionof luciferase in target cells is dependent on virus entry and thecompletion of one round of virus replication. Drug susceptibility ismeasured by adding serial concentrations of drugs to target cells priorto addition of pseudotyped virus particles. Inhibition of virus entry isreflected in a reduction in luciferase activity in a dose-dependentmanner, providing a quantitative measure of drug susceptibility. Sincethe HIV genomic vector requires expression of functional HIV-1 reversetranscriptase (RT) to drive luciferase expression, this pseudovirusassay is also sensitive to inhibition by nucleotide/nucleoside reversetranscriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and non-nucleoside reversetranscriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). As such, the HIV-1pp assay issuitable for examining cooperative interactions between PRO140 andsmall-molecule, peptide and protein inhibitors of CCR5, CD4, HIV-1gp120, HIV-1 gp41 and HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.

TABLE 12 Small-Molecule CCR5 antagonists Small-Molecule CCR5 antagonistReference 1,3,4-trisubstituted pyrrolidines Kim et al., 2005 Modified4-piperidinyl-2-phenyl-1-(phenylsulfonylamino)- Shah et al., 2005butanes Anibamine. TFA, Ophiobolin C, and 19,20-epoxycytochalasinJayasuriya et al., 2004 Q 5-(piperidin-1-yl)-3-phenyl-pentylsulfonesShankaran et al., 2004a4-(heteroarylpiperdin-1-yl-methyl)-pyrrolidin-1-yl-acetic acid Shankaranet al., 2004b antagonists Agents containing 4-(pyrazolyl)piperidine sidechains Shu et al., 2004 Agents containing 4-(pyrazolyl)piperidine sidechains. Shen et al., 2004a; 2004b 3-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)propionic acidanalogues Lynch et al., 2003c[2-(R)-[N-methyl-N-(1-(R)-3-(S)-((4-(3-benzyl-1-ethyl-(1H)- Kumar etal., 2003 pyrazol-5-yl)piperidin-1-yl)methyl)-4-(S)-(3-fluorophenyl)cyclopent-1-yl)amino]-3-methylbutanoic acid (MRK-1)] 1,3,4trisubstituted pyrrolidines bearing 4-aminoheterocycle Willoughby etal., 2003; Lynch substituted piperidine side chains et al., 2003a; Lynchet al., 2003b; Hale et al., 2002 Bicyclic isoxazolidines Lynch et al.,2002 Combinatorial synthesis of CCR5 antagonists Willoughby et al., 2001Heterocycle-containing compounds Kim et al., 2001b Antagonistscontaining hydantoins Kim et al., 2001a 1,3,4 trisubstitutedpyrrolidines Hale et al., 20011-[N-(methyl)-N-(phenylsulfonyl)amino]-2-(phenyl)-4-(4-(N- Finke et al.,2001 (alkyl)-N-(benzyloxycarbonyl)amino)piperidin-1-yl)butanes Compoundsfrom the plant Lippia alva Hedge et al., 2004 Piperazine-based CCR5antagonists Tagat et al., 2004 Oximino-piperidino-piperidine-based CCR5antagonists Palani et al., 2003b Rotamers of SCH 351125 Palani et al.,2003a Piperazine-based symmetrical heteroaryl carboxamides McCombie etal., 2003 Oximino-piperidino-piperidine Palani et al., 2002 amidesSch-351125 and Sch-350634 Este, 2002 SCH-C Strizki et al., 20011-[(2,4-dimethyl-3-pyridinyl)carbonyl]-4-methyl-4-[3(S)- Tagat et al.,2001a methyl-4-[1(S)-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ethyl]-1-piperazinyl]-piperidine N1-oxide (Sch-350634) 4-[(Z)-(4-bromophenyl)-Palani et al., 2001 (ethoxyimino)methyl]-1′-[(2,4-dimethyl-3-pyridinyl)carbonyl]-4′-methyl-1,4′-bipiperidine N-oxide (SCH 351125)2(S)-methyl piperazines Tagat et al., 2001b Piperidine-4-carboxamidederivatives Imamura et al., 2005 1-benzazepine derivatives containing asulfoxide moiety Seto et al., 2005 anilide derivatives containing apyridine N-oxide moiety Seto et al., 2004a 1-benzothiepine 1,1-dioxideand 1-benzazepine derivatives Seto et al., 2004b containing a tertiaryamine moiety N-[3-(4-benzylpiperidin-1-yl)propyl]-N,N-diphenylureasImamura et al., 2004a 5-oxopyrrolidine-3-carboxamide derivatives Imamuraet al., 2004b Anilide derivatives with a quaternary ammonium moietyShiraishi et al., 2000 AK602/ONO4128/GW873140 Nakata et al., 2005Spirodiketopiperazine derivatives Maeda et al., 2001; Maeda et al., 2004Selective CCR5 antagonists Thoma et al., 2004

A third approach for examining antiviral synergy utilizes a whole virusassay. Cooperativity between all classes of inhibitor molecules can beexamined in this assay format.

In both the virus-cell fusion luciferase assay and the whole virusassay, IC₅₀ values are generated for all combinations as describedherein for the RET assay. Cooperative inhibition effects of drugcombinations are determined by the method of Chou and Talalay (1984).PRO140 broadly and potently inhibited CCR5-mediated HIV-1 entry withoutCCR5 antagonism or other immunologic side effects in preclinicaltesting. More recently, PRO140 has demonstrated favorable tolerability,PK and immunologic profiles in preliminary results from an ongoing Phase1a study in healthy volunteers. Thus, in many respects, PRO140 offers anovel and attractive product profile for anti-HIV-1 therapy. Moreover,the activities of anti-CCR5 mabs are fundamentally distinct from, butcomplementary to, those of small-molecule CCR5 antagonists (see Table2).

It might have been expected that combinations of anti-CCR5 mAbs andnon-antibody CCR5 antagonists would produce additive effects ininhibiting fusion of HIV-1 to CD4⁺CCR5⁺ target cells since both classesof agents bind to the same target molecule. Surprisingly, however, thedata presented herein reveal that anti-CCR5 mAbs, exemplified by PRO140and 2D7, exhibited potent and reproducible synergy with non-antibodyCCR5 antagonists, exemplified by SCH-D, TAK-779, UK-427,857 and RANTES,in inhibiting HIV-1 Env-mediated cell-cell fusion. Synergies routinelytranslated into 4- to 10-fold dose reductions, suggesting significantimprovement in inhibitory potency for the drug combinations. Incontrast, purely additive effects were observed for combinations ofnon-antibody CCR5 antagonists. These findings likely reflect thedifferent patterns of CCR5 recognition of these molecules: whereassmall-molecule CCR5 antagonists bind a common hydrophobic pocket withinthe transmembrane domains of CCR5, PRO140 recognizes a hydrophilic,extracellular epitope of CCR5. Overall, the data support the use ofPRO140 in combination with non-antibody HIV-1 entry inhibitors andsuggest that PRO140 represents a distinct subclass of CCR5 inhibitor.

Moreover, the available data suggest that the observed synergy may alsobe exhibited by combinations involving anti-CCR5 mAbs other than PRO140,including, but not limited to, mAb CCR5 mAb004 (Roschke et al., 2004),as well as non-antibody CCR5 antagonists other than SCH-D, TAK-779,UK-427,857 and RANTES. Thus, these antibodies likely produce synergisticeffects in combination with GW873140 (Lalezari et al., 2004), TAK-652(Baba et al., 2005), and at least certain of the small-molecule CCR5antagonists listed in Table 12. Accordingly, combination therapycomprising administration of anti-CCR5 mAbs and non-antibody CCR5antagonists may offer powerfully effective, new approaches to preventingand treating HIV-1 infection. It is expected that such therapy willresult in more potent and more durable ant-HIV-1 treatments.Additionally, the synergistic effects described herein may enable areduction in dosages of drugs administered to a subject as well as areduction in dosing frequency.

Example 4 Loading and Maintenance Dose Regimens

The loading regimen, which can, for example, be more dose-intensive thanthe maintenance regimen, can, for example, have the followingcharacteristics:

Number of doses: 1 or more (up to about 5 doses).

Dose level: About 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, 150% or 200% greater than themaintenance dose regimen.

Dose frequency: About 1.5×, 2×, 3× or 4× more frequently than themaintenance dose regimen.

As an example, if the maintenance dose regimen is 2 mg/kg every twoweeks, the loading dose regimen could comprise weekly 2 mg/kg doses.Alternatively, the loading dose regimen could comprise a single 4 mg/kgdose or multiple 4 mg/kg doses at weekly or biweekly intervals.

The loading dose regimen can be designed, for example, so as toaccelerate the achievement of a pharmacokinetic steady state in thesubject, as defined by uniform peak and trough blood concentrations ofdrug between doses. A preferred loading dose regimen can be determinedby routine experimentation wherein the drug is administered to thesubject by differing loading and maintenance regimens, and blood levelsof drug are measured.

Also, in another embodiment, PRO 140 is administered according to afixed-dose regimen such as, for example, 75 mg, 150 mg, 300 mg and 600mg per administration.

Part III Materials and Methods Inhibitors

PRO 140 was expressed in mammalian cells and purified by protein A, ionexchange and hydroxyapatite chromatographies. UK-427,857 (Dorr et al.2005), SCH-D (Tagat et al. 2004), TAK-779 (Baba et al. 1999),enfuvirtide (T-20 (Wild et al. 1992); BMS-378806 (Lin et al. 2003)) andPRO 542 (CD4-IgG2, (Allaway et al. 1995)) were prepared according topublished methods. Zidovudine (azidothylnidine, AZT), RANTES, the CCR5mAb 2D7 and the CD4 mAb Leu-3A were purchased from Sigma Chemicals (St.Louis, Mo.), R&D Systems (Minneapolis, Minn.), Pharmingen (San Diego,Calif.), and Becton Dickinson (Franklin Lakes, N.J.), respectively.UK-427,857 and SCH-D were radiolabeled with tritium by GE Healthcare(Piscataway, N.J.), and PRO140 was conjugated to phycoerythrin (PE) bySouthern Biotech, Inc. (Birmingham, Ala.).

HIV-1 Membrane Fusion Assay

HIV-1 envelope-mediated membrane fusion was examined using afluorescence resonance energy transfer (RET) assay (Litwin et al. 1996)with modifications. Briefly, HeLa cells that stably expressHIV-1_(JR-FL) gp120/gp41 (Litwin et al. 1996) and CEM.NKR-CCR5 cells(NIH AIDS Research and Reference Reagent Program, (Spenlehauer et al.2001; Trkola et al. 1999)) were labeled separately overnight withfluorescein octadecyl ester (F18; Molecular Probes, Eugene, Oreg.) andrhodamine octadecyl ester (R18; Molecular Probes), respectively. Cellswere washed in phosphate-buffered saline containing 15% fetal bovineserum (PBSF) and co-seeded at 15,000 cells/well into a 384-well plate.Inhibitors were added, and the plates were incubated in PBSF plus 0.5%dimethlysulfoxide (DMSO) for 4 h at 37° C. prior to measurement of RETusing a Victor² plate reader (Perkin-Elmer, Boston, Mass.) as previouslydescribed (Litwin et al. 1996). The CD4 mAb Leu3a was used as a controlinhibitor, and percent inhibition was calculated as: (RET in the absenceof inhibitor —RET in the presence of inhibitor)/(RET in the absence ofinhibitor —RET in the presence of Leu3a)×100.

HIV-1 Pseudovirus Assay

A self-inactivating (SIN) vector was derived from thepNLA-3ΔEnv-luciferase vector (Dragic et al. 1996) by deleting 507basepairs in the U3 region of the 3′ long terminal repeat (LTR) so as toremove the TATA box and transcription factor binding sites. The humancytomegalovirus promoter was inserted upstream of the luciferase (luc)gene to enable expression of luciferase following integration.

Reporter viruses pseudotyped with HIR-1_(JR-FL) or HIV-1_(SF162)envelopes were generated by cotransfection of 293T cells with the SINvector and the appropriate pcDNA env-expressing vector as previouslydescribed (Dragic et al. 1996). U87-CD4-CCR5 cells (8,000/well; NIH AIDSResearch and Reference Reagent Program) were infected with 125-375 pg ofHIV-1 pseudoviruses in 384-well plates in the presence or absence ofinhibitor(s). Cultures were incubated for 72 h at 37° C. in DMEMcontaining 10% fetal bovine serum, 1 mg/mL puromycin, 0.3 mg/mLgeneticin, antibiotics, and 0.5% DMSO. Luciferase activity (relativelight units or RLU) was measured using BrightGlo reagent (Promega,Madison, Wis.) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Percentinhibition was calculated as: (1-RLU in the presence of inhibitor/RLU inthe absence of inhibitor)×100. IC50 and IC90 were used to denote therespective concentrations required for 50% and 90% inhibition of HIV-1.

Synergy Determinations

Experimental design and data analysis were based on the combinationindex (CI) method (Chou et al. 1991; Chou et al. 1984). Compounds weretested individually and in combination at a fixed molar ratio over arange of serial dilutions. Entry inhibitors were combined in equimolaramounts, whereas a 1:10 molar ratio was used for PRO140 in combinationwith azidothymidine and nevirapine. Dose-response curves were fit usinga four-parameter sigmoidal equation with upper and lower inhibitionvalues constrained to 100% and 0%, respectively, in order to calculateconcentrations required for 50% (IC50) and 90% (IC90) inhibition(GraphPad Prism, GraphPad Software, San Diego, Calif.). CI values for50% (CI50) and 90% (CI90) inhibition were calculated as previouslydescribed (Chou et al. 1991; Chou et al. 1984). The mutually exclusiveCI formula was used for combinations of CCR5 inhibitors, while themutually non-exclusive formula was utilized for combinations ofinhibitors to distinct targets (Chou et al. 1991). Each test wasconducted 4-12 times. Synergy, additivity and antagonism are indicatedby CI<1, CI=1 and CI>1, respectively.

Competition Binding Assays

To examine inhibition of PRO140 binding, CEM.NKR-CCR5 cells weresuspended in phosphate-buffered saline with 0.1% sodium azide (PBSA) andincubated with varying concentrations of unlabeled CCR5 antagonists atambient temperature for 30 minutes. Azide was added to block CCR5internalization during the assay. Cells were washed in PBSA andincubated with 5 nM PRO140-PE for an additional 30 minutes prior towashing and analysis by flow cytometry using a FACSCalibur instrument(Becton Dickinson). The extent of PRO140-PE binding was measured interms of both the mean fluorescence intensity (MF) and the percent ofcells gated for positive staining.

To examine inhibition of UK-427,857 binding, CEM.NKR-CCR5 cells werepre-incubated with unlabeled CCR5 inhibitors as described above prior toaddition of 2 nM ³H-UK-427,857 for an additional 30 minutes. The cellswere washed in PBSA and lysed with 0.5N HCl prior to scintillationcounting using a Wallac1410 instrument. An additional study reversed theorder of addition in order to examine the stability of UK-427,857binding over the course of the assay. Cells were pre-incubated with 2 nM³H-UK-427,857 for 30 min prior to washing, addition of unlabeledinhibitors, and processing as described above. EC50 and EC90 were usedto denote the concentrations of unlabeled compound required to inhibitbinding of labeled compound by 50% and 90%, respectively.

Statistical Analyses

Two-tailed t-tests were used to test mean CI50 and CI90 values for thenull hypothesis Ho: CI=1 (additivity) using GraphPad Prism software. Pvalues were corrected for multiple comparisons from α=0.05 according tothe Bonferroni method (Cudeck and O'Dell 1994), excluding the PRO140/PRO140 mock combination that was included as an assay control. In theBonferroni correction, P=α/n, where n is the number of comparisons.Twenty-two synergy comparisons (11 compounds×2 CI values) were madebased on data generated in the membrane fusion assay, resulting in acorrected P value of 0.0023. In the pseudovirus assay, 32 synergycomparisons (8 compounds×2 viruses×2 CI values) resulted in a correctedP value of 0.0016.

Results Inhibition of HIV-1 Membrane Fusion

PRO140 and UK-427,857 were used individually and together to inhibitHIV-1_(JR-FL) envelope-mediated membrane fusion in the RET cell-cellfusion assay, and representative dose-response curves for the individualagents and combination are illustrated in FIG. 15A. Although both PRO140and UK-427,857 individually blocked HIV-1 fusion at low nanomolarpotency, the combination was markedly more potent. In this assay, 50%inhibition was obtained using 2.9 nM PRO140 alone, 5.0 nM UK-427,857used alone, or 2.1 nM of the combination (1.05 nM PRO140 plus 1.05 nMUK-427,857). This supra-additive effect is indicative of antiviralsynergy between the two agents. In contrast, the combination of SCH-Dand UK-427,857 was no more potent than individual agents (FIG. 15B). Inthis example, the dose-response curves for the individual inhibitors andthe combination were overlapping, with 50% inhibition requiring 9.7 nMUK-427,857, 5.5 mM SCH-D and 6.1 nM of the combination.

The data suggest purely additive effects for these inhibitors. Thesestudies were extended to additional CCR5 (TAK-779, RANTES and 2D7),gp120 (BMS-378806 and PRO542) and gp41 (enfuvirtide) inhibitors, andwere repeated four or more times for each condition. CI50 and CI90values were calculated for each condition and averaged across theindependent assays. Cooperativity was assessed using t-tests todetermine if the CI50 and CI90 values were significantly different fromone. As a test of these methods, a PRO140/PRO140 mock combination wasexamined by adding PRO140 to the assay wells in two separate additions.CI50 and CI90 values for the PRO140/PRO140 combination were 0.96 and0.97, respectively (Table 13); therefore, purely additive effects wereobserved for this mock combination, as expected.

TABLE 13 CI values for inhibition of HIV-1_(JR-FL) envelope-mediatedmembrane fusion^(a) 1^(st) IC50, IC90, 2^(nd) Inhibitor Target nM nMInhibitor CI50 P value CI90 P value PRO 140 CCR5 2.5 8.6 PRO 140 0.97 ±0.07 0.13 0.96 ± 0.14 0.37 UK-427,857 CCR5 5.3 27 PRO 140

SCH-D CCR5 3.2 16 PRO 140

TAK-779 CCR5 11 >200 PRO 140

N/A N/A RANTES CCR5 2.4 38 PRO 140

RANTES CCR5 2.4 38 UK-427,857

SCH-D CCR5 3.2 16 UK-427,857 0.86 ± 0.03 0.016 0.75 ± 0.02 0.0033 SCH-DCCR5 3.2 16 TAK-779  1.3 ± 0.18 0.12 N/A N/A 2D7 CCR5 3.7 58 PRO 140 1.0 ± 0.14 0.61  1.9 ± 0.61 0.024 enfuvirtide gp41 8.6 66 PRO 140 0.84± 0.16 0.040 0.89 ± 0.20 0.19 PRO 542 gp120 8.9 91 PRO 140 0.96 ± 0.170.56 0.94 ± 0.19 0.45 BMS-378806 gp120 5.2 20 PRO 140

 1.1 ± 0.22 0.19 ^(a)Statistically significant results (P < 0.0023 afterapplication of the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons) areindicated in italicized bold text. IC50 and IC90 denote values for the1^(st) inhibitor. N/A = not applicable; TAK-779 did not consistentlyachieve 90% inhibition in the assay. CI values represent the means andstandard deviations of 4-12 independent assay

Potent synergy was observed for PRO140 in combination with each of threesmall-molecule CCR5 antagonists (UK-427,857, SCH-D and TAK-779), and thefindings were statistically significant even when the data werecorrected for multiple comparisons via the Bonferroni method (Table 13).CI values ranged from 0.36 to 0.61, and these synergies translated intodose reductions ranging from 3- to 8-fold across the differentconditions. Synergies were greater at 90% inhibition than at 50%inhibition. Synergy between PRO140 and small-molecule CCR5 antagonistswas robust in that it was observed at both the 50% and 90% inhibitionlevels in every instance. The exception was TAK-779, which did notmediate 90% inhibition when used individually, and therefore a CI90 wasnot determined. Similarly potent synergy was observed when RANTES wasused in combination with either PRO140 or UK-427,857 (Table 13).Additional tests examined combinations of two small-molecule CCR5antagonists (SCH-D/UK-427,857 and SCH-D/TAK-779) or two CCR5 mAbs(PRO140/2D7). No significant synergy was observed for thesecombinations, although the SCH-D/UK-427,857 CI90 values trended towardssignificance. The findings are consistent with prior observations ofoverlapping binding sites for PRO140 and 2D7 (Olson et al. 1999) and forSCH-D and TAK-779 (Seibert et al. 2006). PRO140 was also tested incombination with the gp41 fusion inhibitor enfuvirtide and with thegp120 attachment inhibitors PRO542 and BMS-378806 (Table 13). CI valuesranged from 0.84 to 1.28, and none of these combinations demonstratedsynergy that met the criteria for statistical significance. For the PRO140/BMS-378806 combination, modest antagonism was observed at 50% butnot 90% inhibition. The biological significance of this result isunclear.

Inhibition of HIV-1 Pseudoviruses

Single-cycle HIV-1 reporter viruses were used to examine whether thesynergistic effects were limited to cell-cell fusion or whether theyextended to other modes of HIV-1 entry. Signals in this assay requireboth viral entry and reverse transcription, so that both NRTI and NNRTImay be included in the analyses. Each combination was tested againstreporter viruses pseudotyped with envelopes from HIV-1_(JR-FL) andHIV-1_(SF162) in at least 4 independent assays per virus. APRO140/PRO140 mock combination was again included as an assay control,and demonstrated additive effects against both HIV-1_(JR-FL) andHIV-1_(SF162) pseudoviruses, as expected (Table 14).

PRO140 potently synergized with both UK-427,857 and SCH-D in blockingvirus-cell fusion, and the results met the criteria for statisticalsignificance. Comparable levels of synergy were observed against bothHIV-1_(JR-FL) and HIV-1_(SF162) pseudoviruses at 50% and 90% inhibition(Table 14), with CI values ranging from 0.18 to 0.64. These synergiestranslated into dose reductions ranging to 14-fold. These results are ingood agreement with those obtained in the cell-cell fusion assay (Table13). Neither TAK-779 nor RANTES mediated consistent, high-levelinhibition of HIV-1 pseudovirus entry, and therefore these compoundswere not included in this analysis (data not shown).

TABLE 14 CI values for inhibition of HIV-1 reporter viruses pseudotypedwith envelopes from HIV-1_(JR-FL) and HIV-1_(SF162) ^(a). 1^(st) HIV-1IC50, IC90, 2^(nd) Inhibitor Target Envelope nM nM Inhibitor CI50 Pvalue CI90 P value PRO 140 CCR5 JRFL 2.2 28 PRO 140  1.2 ± 0.32 0.160.90 ± 0.15 0.047 SF162 1.3 20 PRO 140  1.0 ± 0.27 1.0 0.86 ± 0.33 0.21SCH-D CCR5 JRFL 2.4 44 PRO 140

SF162 0.34 14 PRO 140

UK-427,857 CCR5 JRFL 7.4 46 PRO 140

SF162 0.87 13 PRO 140

UK-427,857 CCR5 JRFL 7.4 46 SCH-D 0.71 ± 0.11 0.16  1.2 ± 0.15 0.32SF162 0.87 13 SCH-D 0.87 ± 0.06 0.19 0.86 ± 0.28 0.61 2D7 CCR5 JRFL8.8 >200 PRO 140  1.5 ± 0.25 0.024 N/A N/A SF162 2.2 74 PRO 140  1.1 ±0.47 0.61  1.0 ± 0.16 0.65 PRO 542 gp120 JRFL 0.19 2.9 PRO 140  1.2 ±0.32 0.22  1.0 ± 0.18 0.92 SF162 0.36 7.1 PRO 140 0.98 ± 0.28 0.84 0.64± 0.26 0.010 BMS-378806 gp120 JRFL 1.2 11 PRO 140  1.2 ± 0.38 0.43 0.74± 0.23 0.059 SF162 0.03 0.42 PRO 140  1.1 ± 0.28 0.36 0.82 ± 0.21 0.068nevirapine RT JRFL 30 310 PRO 140  1.2 ± 0.38 0.36 0.73 ± 0.28 0.068SF162 42 280 PRO 140  1.2 ± 0.34 0.30 0.63 ± 0.19 0.033 zidovudine RTJRFL 140 1900 PRO 140  1.1 ± 0.38 0.37 0.85 ± 0.26 0.21 SF162 86 2100PRO 140 0.99 ± 0.27 0.91  1.0 ± 0.38 1.0 ^(a)Statistically significantresults (P < 0.0016 after application of the Bonferroni correction formultiple comparisons) are indicated in italicized bold text. IC50 andIC90 refer to values for the 1^(st) inhibitor. N/A = not applicable; 2D7did not consistently achieve 90% inhibition in the assay. CI valuesrepresent the means and standard deviations of 4 or more independentassays

Additive effects were observed for both the UK-427,857/SCH-D andPRO140/2D7 combinations (Table 14). Similarly, additivity was observedfor PRO140 used in combination with the gp120 inhibitors PRO542 andBMS-378806. No antagonism was observed for the PRO140/BMS-378806combination against either virus. Overall, these findings are consistentwith those seen for cell-cell fusion. Lastly, additive effects wereobserved for PRO140 in combination with either zidovudine (NRTI) ornevirapine (NNRTI).

Competition Binding Studies

As described above, additive antiviral effects were observed forinhibitors known (PRO140 and 2D7) or inferred (UK-427,857 and SCH-D) tocompete for CCR5 binding; however, little is known regarding thecompetitive binding of synergistic compounds (e.g., PRO140/UK-427,857and PRO140/SCH-D). Since non-competitive binding provides a possiblemechanism for synergy between CCR5 inhibitors, this issue was exploredusing labeled forms of UK-427,857 and PRO140.

Flow cytometry was used to examine inhibition of PRO140-PE binding toCEM.NRK.CCR5 cells by unlabeled PRO140, UK-427,857 and SCH-D. PRO140-PEbinding was efficiently inhibited by unlabeled PRO140, as expected.Complete inhibition was observed in terms of both MFI values (FIG. 16A)and the percent of cells gated for positive binding (FIG. 16B). The EC50based on MFI data was 2.5 nM (FIG. 16A), and this value comparesfavorably with the antiviral IC₅₀ of PRO140 (Tables 13 and 14). Sincepercent cells gated is a readout for essentially complete inhibition ofbinding, an EC90 value was calculated as 17 nM, and this value issimilar to the antiviral IC₉₀ values observed for PRO 140 (Tables 13 and14). 2D7 also completely inhibited binding of PRO140-PE to CEM.NKR-CCR5.The CCR5 specificity of PRO140-PE was also demonstrated by its inabilityto bind parental CEM.NKR cells.

In sharp contrast, modest levels of inhibition were observed forUK-427,857 and SCH-D (FIG. 16). Micromolar concentrations of UK-427,857and SCH-D reduced PRO140-PE MFI values by 50% or less (FIG. 16A). Moredramatically, UK-427,857 and SCH-D had little impact on the percent ofcells gated for positive binding of PRO140-PE (FIG. 16B). The findingssuggest that UK-427,857 and SCH-D partially reduce the number ofPRO140-PE molecules bound per cell; however, these compounds do notreduce the number of cells that bind measurable amounts of PRO140-PE.Therefore, UK-427,857 and SCH-D represent partial antagonists of PRO140binding, and this finding provides a mechanism for the antiviral synergyobserved between PRO140 and these small-molecule CCR5 antagonists.

Inhibition of ³H-UK-427,857 binding by unlabeled UK-427,857, SCH-D andPRO140 was next examined. Binding of ³H-UK-427,857 to CEM.NKR-CCR5 cellswas efficiently inhibited by unlabeled UK-427,857 (FIG. 17A). The EC50for binding was 4.3 nM and is similar to the antiviral IC₅₀ valuesobserved for UK427,857 (Tables 13 and 14).

SCH-D also blocked ³H-UK-427,857 binding to background levels (FIG.17A). However, there was no correlation between the compounds' antiviralpotency and their potency in blocking ³H-UK-427,857 binding. Forexample, whereas SCH-D demonstrated equal or slightly greater antiviralpotency than UK-427,857 (Tables 13 and 14), SCH-D was less potent inblocking ³H-UK-427,857 binding (EC50=17 nM, FIG. 17A). This result isconsistent with minor differences in the CCR5 binding sites of thesecompounds.

Surprisingly, PRO140 also blocked ³H-UK-427,857 binding to backgroundlevels (FIG. 17A), and this result contrasts with the modest inhibitionof PRO140-PE binding by UK-427,857 (FIG. 16). PRO140 inhibited³H-UK427,857 binding with an EC50 of 14 nM, which is 5-10 fold higherthan the antiviral IC50 of PRO140 (Tables 13 and 14).

A final experiment examined the stability of UK-427,857 binding toCEM.NKR-CCR5 cells under the conditions of the competition assay. Forthis, cells were pre-incubated with ³H-UK-427,857 and then thedissociation was examined in the presence of unlabeled UK-427,857, SCH-Dand PRO140. As indicated in FIG. 17B, there was minimal dissociation of³H-UK-427,857 over 30 min at ambient temperature, and UK-427,857 wasn'tdisplaced by either PRO140 or SCH-D. Therefore, the inability ofUK-427,857 to efficiently compete PRO140 binding to CCR5 (FIG. 16) isnot due to rapid dissociation of UK-427,857 from CCR5 during the courseof the assay. Collectively, the data indicate that PRO140 can bind CCR5in the presence of pre-bound UK-427,857.

Discussion

This study explores interactions between mAb and small-molecule CCR5inhibitors and examines combinations of CCR5 drugs that currently are indevelopment for HIV-1 therapy. Surprisingly, potent antiviral synergybetween the CCR5 mAb PRO140 and each of three structurally distinctsmall-molecule CCR5 antagonists was observed. Consistent, high-levelsynergy was observed across varying assay systems, viral isolates,target cells and inhibition levels. PRO140 and small-molecule CCR5antagonists were more potently synergistic when used together ratherthan in combination with inhibitors that block other stages of HIV-1entry. In contrast, additive effects were observed for combinations oftwo small-molecule CCR5 antagonists. Competition binding studiesrevealed complex and non-reciprocal patterns of CCR5 binding by mAb andsmall-molecule CCR5 inhibitors, and suggest that the synergisticinteractions occur at the level of receptor binding.

Robust synergy between mAb and small-molecule CCR5 inhibitors wasobserved in this study. Potent synergy was observed for both cell-celland virus-cell fusion, and there was a good concordance of findings inthese two well-established assay systems. Comparable levels of synergywere observed for PRO140 in combination with each of 3 small-moleculeCCR5 antagonists from unrelated chemical series. In addition, consistentsynergy was observed for each of two well-characterized HIV-1 envelopesand two CCR5 target cells. Synergy increased with increasing levels ofviral inhibition and translated into in vitro dose reductions of up to14-fold. Viewed alternatively, this degree of synergy provides acorresponding increase in antiviral pressure at a given concentration ofdrugs, thereby improving viral suppression and potentially delaying theemergence of drug-resistant virus. This is supported by preliminarystudies indicating the mAb and small-molecule CCR5 inhibitors possesscomplementary patterns of viral resistance (Kuhmann et al. 2004 andMarozsan et al. 2005). The present findings provide a rationale forclinical exploration of regimens that combine mAb and small-moleculeCCR5 inhibitors.

Potent synergy was also observed for RANTES used in combination witheither UK-427,857 or PRO 140. Endogenous levels of RANTES may affordsome protection against HIV-1 disease progression during naturalinfection (Garzino-Demo et al. 1999; Lui et al. 1999), and thereforethis finding of synergy has important and positive implications forCCR5-targeted therapies of HIV-1. Antiviral synergy between RANTES andPRO140 is not surprising based on a prior observation that RANTESsignaling is not blocked by antiviral concentrations of murine PRO140(PA14) (Olson et al. 1999). Synergy between RANTES and UK-427,857 isless easily explained given that UK-427,857 is a potent CCR5 antagonist.However, these findings are consistent with prior observations ofsynergy between the small-molecule CCR5 antagonist SCH-C andaminooxypentane-RANTES (AOP-RANTES) (Tremblay et al. 2002), a RANTESderivative that has been evaluated as a potential topical microbicide(Kawamura et al. 2000).

In contrast to the robust synergy observed between mAb andsmall-molecule CCR5 antagonists, additive effects were observed forcombinations of small-molecule CCR5 antagonists. Lack of cooperativityis consistent with the view that these molecules compete for binding toa common pocket on CCR5 (Dragic et al. 2000; Nishikawa et al. 2005;Tsamis et al. 2003; Watson et al. 2005). The in vitro studies do notprovide a basis for combining small-molecule CCR5 antagonists in theclinic based solely on inhibition of wild-type virus.

Similarly, potent synergy was not observed between PRO140 and inhibitorsof HIV-1 attachment (PRO542 and BMS-378806), fusion (enfuvirtide), orreverse transcriptase (zidovudine and nevirapine), and these findingsunderscore the significance of the synergy observed for PRO140 andsmall-molecule CCR5 antagonists. A number of prior studies have examinedinteractions between various small-molecule CCR5 antagonists(UK-427,857, SCH-C, TAK-220, TAK-652 and E913) and drugs from each ofthe existing HIV-1 treatment classes. Most (Tremblay et al. 2005Antivir. Ther.; Tremblay et al. 2005 Antimicrob. Agents Chemother;Tremblay et al. 2002) but not all (Dorr et al. 2005; Maeda et al. 2001)studies have reported broad synergy between CCR5 inhibitors and theother HIV-1 treatment classes, and the divergent results may reflectdifferences in the compounds and methods used for antiviral testing aswell as differences in the methods used for data analysis. WhenUK-427,857 was tested against 20 licensed antiretroviral agents,additive effects were observed in all but three cases, where modestsynergy was reported (Dorr et al. 2005). This result is consistent withthe present findings for combinations of PRO140 and HIV-1 inhibitorsthat do not target CCR5.

Without intending to be bound by theory, synergy between anti-HIV-1drugs may stem from a variety of mechanisms. In mixed virus cultures,one compound may inhibit virus resistant to a second compound (Johnsonet al. 1991), and NRTI/NNRTI combinations may overcome specificRT-mediated resistance mechanisms (Basavapattruni et al. 2004; Borkow etal. 1999). Metabolic interactions between inhibitors may increase theireffective intracellular drug concentrations (Molla et al. 2002), andsynergistic entry inhibitors may disrupt interdependent steps in theentry cascade (Nagashima et al. 2001; Tremblay et al. 2000). The presentstudy examined clonal viral envelopes rather than mixed populations, andthe extracellular nature of the target argues against metabolicinteractions. Multiple domains of gp120 contribute to CCR5 binding(Cormier et al. 2002), but it is unclear at present whether theseinteractions represent separate or discrete events during infection.

The present findings indicate that antiviral synergy between mAb andsmall-molecule CCR5 inhibitors may occur at the level of the receptor.As discussed above, mAbs and small molecules bind distinct loci on CCR5(Dragic et al. 2000; Nishikawa et al. 2005; Tsamis et al. 2003; Olson etal. 1999; Watson et al. 2005). When pre-incubated with CCR5 cells in thepresent study, PRO140 completely blocked subsequent binding ofUK-427,857 to the receptor; although the PRO140 concentrations werehigher than those needed to block HIV-1 entry into the same cells. Incontrast, pre-incubation of CCR5 cells with super-saturatingconcentrations of UK-427,857 or SCH-D reduced PRO140 binding by 50% orless. As one possible explanation, PRO140 could recognize CCR5conformers that are not bound by UK-427,857 or SCH-D. Althoughcell-surface CCR5 exists in multiple conformations (Lee et al. 1999), itseems unlikely that the small-molecule antagonists could demonstratepotent antiviral activity while failing to bind a significant fractionof cell-surface CCR5. In this regard, it is important to note that acommon cellular background (CEM.NKR-CCR5 cells) was used for competitionbinding and antiviral studies, and therefore the findings are notrelated to cell-specific differences in CCR5 expression.

Without intending to be bound by theory, another plausible explanationfor the present findings is that PRO140 is capable of forming a ternarycomplex with UK-427,857-bound CCR5, and this ternary complex provides anincreased barrier to HIV-1 entry. Within the context of this model,PRO140 may bind UK-427,857-bound CCR5 somewhat less efficiently thanfree CCR5, as evidenced by the modest reduction in PRO140 binding in thepresence of UK-427,857.

The combination index method is widely used to assess drug-druginteractions. In this method, cooperativity often is defined on thebasis of empirical CI values (e.g., <0.9 for synergy and >1.1 forantagonism) irrespective of inter-assay variability. Statisticalanalyses are performed infrequently, and even more rarely areadjustments made for multiple comparisons. In the absence of suchanalyses, there is increased potential to overestimate the number ofsynergistic combinations.

A rigorous and conservative approach to identifying synergistic effectswas employed. CI values were tested for statistical significance againstthe null hypothesis of additivity (CI=1). In addition, these studiesdetermined 20-30 different CI values per experiment (Tables 13 and 14),as is common in synergy studies. In order to reduce the potential forspurious positive results, the significance level was reduced using theBonferroni correction. A mock combination was also evaluated as a testof these methods for antiviral testing and data analysis. It wastherefore concluded that numerous apparent synergies (CI<0.9) could notbe distinguished from inter-assay variation based on the available data.However, despite the rigorous nature of these methods, PRO140 andsmall-molecule inhibitors demonstrated significant synergy under everytest condition, lending credence to this finding. Combinations with CIvalues that trended towards significance in the present survey could beexplored in future studies. For example, data for the PRO140/enfuvirtidecombination suggested modest synergy that trended towards significance;thus this combination may also be useful for treating HIV-1 infection.

A growing body of data indicates that mAb and small-molecule CCR5antagonists represent distinct subclasses of CCR5 inhibitors, and anumber of important parallels can be drawn between NRTI and NNRTI on theone hand and between mAb and small-molecule CCR5 antagonists on theother. In each instance, there are distinct binding loci for theinhibitors on the target protein (reverse transcriptase or CCR5). Oneset of inhibitors (NNRTI or small-molecule CCR5 antagonists) acts viaallosteric mechanisms, while the other set (NRTI or CCR5 mAbs) acts as acompetitive inhibitor. Like NRTI and NNRTI, mAb and small-molecule CCR5inhibitors are synergistic and possess complementary patterns of viralresistance in vitro in preliminary testing (Kuhmann et al. 2004;Marozsan et al. 2005). NRTI and NNRTI represent important and distincttreatment classes even though they target the same protein, and mAb andsmall-molecule CCR5 inhibitors similarly may offer distinct HIV-1treatment modalities.

Part IV Materials and Methods

PRO140 and small-molecule CCR5 antagonists were prepared and/or obtainedas described herein above. The primary R5HIV-1 isolates JR-FL and Case C1/85 (CC1/85) were passaged weekly in vitro on peripheral bloodmononuclear cells (PBMCC) in the presence or absence of progressivelyincreasing concentrations of PRO 140 or SCH-D, and viral cultures wereexamined for susceptibility to these and other CCR5 inhibitors. Forsusceptibility testing, viruses were cultured in vitro on stimulatedPBMC. In the presence and absence of serially diluted drug, and theextent of viral replication was determined by p24 ELISA.

Results

For both JR-FL and CC1/85, drug-resistant variants were generated in thepresence of PRO140 and SCH-D. At passage 12, the escape mutants wereapproximately 10- to 100-fold less susceptible to the drug used forselection. In each case, the escape mutants continued to require CCR5for replication on PBMC. Complementary patterns of resistance wereobserved: SCH-D escape mutants were efficiently inhibited by PRO140 andPRO140 escape mutants were efficiently inhibited by SCH-D.

Discussion

PRO 140 escape mutants continue to require CCR5 for entry and remainsusceptible to small-molecule CCR5 antagonists. In addition, PRO 140 isactive against viruses resistant to small-molecule CCR5 antagonists.These findings indicate that PRO 140 and small-molecule CCR5 antagonistsmay represent distinct subclasses of CCR5 inhibitors.

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1. A method for reducing HIV-1 viral load in an HIV-1-infected humansubject which comprises administering to the subject at a predefinedinterval effective HIV-1 viral load-reducing doses of a humanizedantibody designated PRO140, wherein PRO140 comprises (i) two lightchains, each light chain comprising the expression product of theplasmid designated pVK:HuPRO140-VK (ATCC Deposit Designation PTA-4097),and (ii) two heavy chains, each heavy chain comprising the expressionproduct of either the plasmid designated pVg4:HuPRO140 HG2-VH (ATCCDeposit Designation PTA-4098) or the plasmid designated pVg4:HuPRO140(mut B+D+I)-VH (ATCC Deposit Designation PTA-4099), wherein theeffective HIV-1 viral load-reducing dose comprises from 0.1 mg per kg to10 mg per kg of the subject's body weight, so as to thereby reduce thesubject's HIV-1 viral load. 2-4. (canceled)
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the effective viral load-reducing dose is from 0.25 mg per kg to7.5 mg per kg of the subject's body weight.
 6. The method of claim 5,wherein the dose is from 0.5 mg per kg to 5 mg per kg of the subject'sbody weight.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the dose is from 1 mg perkg to 3 mg per kg of the subject's body weight.
 8. The method of claim7, wherein the dose is 2 mg per kg of the subject's body weight.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, the effective viral load-reducing dose is sufficientto achieve in the subject a serum concentration of the antibody of atleast 400 ng/ml.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the dosesadministered at regular intervals are sufficient to achieve and maintainin the subject a serum concentration of the antibody of at least 1μg/ml.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the doses are sufficient toachieve and maintain in the subject a serum concentration of theantibody of about 3 to about 12 μg/ml.
 12. The method of claim 10,wherein the doses are sufficient to achieve and maintain in the subjecta serum concentration of the antibody of at least 5 μg/ml.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the doses are sufficient to achieve andmaintain in the subject a serum concentration of the antibody of atleast 10 μg/ml.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the doses aresufficient to achieve and maintain in the subject a serum concentrationof the antibody of at least 25 μg/ml.
 15. The method of claim 14,wherein the doses are sufficient to achieve and maintain in the subjecta serum concentration of the antibody of at least 50 μg/ml.
 16. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the predefined interval is at least onceweekly.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the predefined interval isevery two to four weeks.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein thepredefined interval is every two weeks.
 19. The method of claim 17,wherein the predefined interval is every four weeks.
 20. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the predefined interval is at least once monthly. 21.The method of claim 16, wherein the predefined interval is every sixweeks.
 22. The method of claim 16, wherein the predefined interval isevery eight weeks.
 23. The method of claim 1, wherein the reduction ofthe subject's HIV-1 viral load is maintained for at least one week. 24.The method of claim 23, wherein the reduction of the subject's HIV-1viral load is maintained for at least two weeks.
 25. The method of claim24, wherein the reduction of the subject's HIV-1 viral load ismaintained for at least four weeks.
 26. The method of claim 25, whereinthe reduction of the subject's HIV-1 viral load is maintained for atleast three months.
 27. The method of claim 1, wherein the antibody isadministered via intravenous infusion.
 28. The method of claim 1,wherein the antibody is administered via subcutaneous injection.
 29. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the subject's HIV-1 viral load is reduced byat least 50% following administration of the antibody.
 30. The method ofclaim 29, wherein the subject's HIV-1 viral load is reduced by at least70% following administration of the antibody.
 31. The method of claim30, wherein the subject's HIV-1 viral load is reduced by at least 90%following administration of the antibody.
 32. The method of claim 1,further comprising administering to the subject at least one anti-HIV-1anti-retroviral agent.
 33. The method of claim 32, wherein theanti-HIV-1 anti-retroviral agent is a nonnucleoside reversetranscriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), a nucleoside reverse transcriptaseinhibitor (NRTI), a protease inhibitor (PI), a fusion inhibitor, or anycombination thereof.
 34. The method of claim 1, wherein the subject istreatment-naïve.
 35. The method of claim 1, wherein the subject istreatment-experienced.
 36. The method of claim 1, wherein (a) prior toadministering the monoclonal antibody to the subject, the subject hasreceived treatment with at least one anti-HIV-1 anti-retroviral agent,and (b) concurrent with administering the monoclonal antibody, thesubject continues to receive treatment with the agent or agents, so asto enhance the reduction of HIV-1 viral load in the subject. subject.37. The method of claim 36, wherein the anti-HIV-1 anti-retroviral agentis a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), a nucleosidereverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), a protease inhibitor (PI), afusion inhibitor, or any combination thereof. 38-43. (canceled)
 44. Themethod of claim 33, wherein the fusion inhibitor is a non-antibody CCR5antagonist. 45-66. (canceled)
 67. The method of claim 44, wherein thenon-antibody CCR5 receptor antagonist is a small organic molecule. 68.The method of claim 67, wherein the CCR5 receptor antagonist is SCH-D,UK-427,857, TAK-779, TAK-652 or GW873140.
 69. The method of claim 44,wherein the CCR5 receptor antagonist is an agent that competes with (i)SCH-D's binding to the CCR5 receptor, (ii) UK-427,857's binding to theCCR5 receptor, (iii) TAK-779's binding to the CCR5 receptor, (iv)TAK-652's binding to the CCR5 receptor, or (v) GW873140's binding to theCCR5 receptor. 70-73. (canceled)
 74. The method of claim 67, wherein theCCR5 receptor antagonist is administered a plurality of times and theeffective amount per administration comprises from 0.5 mg to 2,500 mg.75. The method of claim 74, wherein the amount is from 5 mg to 1,250 mg.76. The method of claim 74, wherein the amount is from 5 mg to 15 mg ofthe antagonist to the subject.
 77. The method of claim 76, wherein theamount is from 50 mg to 1,250 mg of the antagonist to the subject. 78.The method of claim 77, wherein the amount is from 200 mg to 800 mg ofthe antagonist to the subject.
 79. The method of claim 78, wherein theamount is from 300 mg to 600 mg of the antagonist.
 80. The method ofclaim 67, wherein the CCR5 receptor antagonist is administered orallyonce or twice per day.
 81. The method of claim 68, wherein the CCR5receptor antagonist is administered orally three or fewer times per day.82-104. (canceled)
 105. The method of claim 1, wherein PRO140 comprises(i) two light chains, each light chain comprising the expression productof the plasmid designated pVK:HuPRO140-VK (ATCC Deposit DesignationPTA-4097), and (ii) two heavy chains, each heavy chain comprising theexpression product of the plasmid designated pVg4:HuPRO140 HG2-VH (ATCCDeposit Designation PTA-4098).
 106. The method of claim 1, whereinPRO140 comprises (i) two light chains, each light chain comprising theexpression product of the plasmid designated pVK:HuPRO140-VK (ATCCDeposit Designation PTA-4097), and (ii) two heavy chains, each heavychain comprising the expression product of the plasmid designatedpVg4:HuPRO140 (mut B+D+I)-VH (ATCC Deposit Designation PTA-4099).